GRAP: Volume Three
by RoyalPsycho
Summary: It's 1463, a new year and a new semester. With the 41st Vytal Festival approaching, Team GRAP are getting ready to put their troubles behind them and prepare for the tournament. As Greta readies herself and her team for the trials ahead the world begins to shift and Team GRAP will discover the edge of the growing shadow that threatens to engulf the world.
1. Chapter One: A New Semester

**Chapter One: A New Semester:**

 **January 1** **st** **1463 of the Vytali Calendar:**

A cold wind blew in from the sea, bringing chilling snow to the island of Patch. A thick layer of snow covered the land in a white blanket, undisturbed except for the occasional tracks of the local Grimm. It had been a difficult winter, forcing most of the island's community indoors to wait out the icy storms. At one particular cliff overlooking the sea, battered by the waves and spray kicked up by the harsh weather, were two people who had braved the chill to make a very important visit.

One was a tall man with heavily greyed blond hair and an age and worry worn face wrapped in a thick, brown overcoat that he kept shut tight, his arms crossed as he hung back on the edge of a treeline near the cliff. Further ahead, on the other end of a clearing that extended from the edge of the nearby forest to the cliff's edge, was a woman, standing silently.

She was of average height, with dark hair that extended just beyond her shoulders and dressed in a dirty, black environmental jumpsuit that covered nearly all of her body. Over the suit was an equally dirty and bedraggled black skirt and corset, both of which had smeared, red cloth along the lining. With the exception of a few lines of age and wear, her face was surprisingly youthful with large silver eyes framed by rather rounded features. Her arms were crossed, keeping the long, tattered, red cloak that was whipping around in the wind close to her as she looked down at the ground at the end of the clearing, right in front of the cliff's edge and the broiling sea beyond. Her hood was down, letting her face feel the chilled winds as they buffeted her, the expression she wore an odd mixture of sombre melancholy, acceptance and slight, abnormal joy.

Ruby Rose gave a tired smile as she stared at the gravestones that were laid in the ground in front of her. They were simple slabs of stone that had been laid over un-dug graves that would have been empty even if they had been made. They were memorials, one laid next to the other in silent remembrance of the two women who had meant so much to the Xiao-Long and Rose families.

'Hi, Mom,' Ruby said as she looked down at the gravestone on her right, giving the same awkward smile she always wore when talking to her mother's grave. She then turned to the second on her left. 'Hi, Yang.'

Both gravestones were identical, rectangular slabs of featureless grey stone that were planted in the cliff's soil at an angle so that their faces could be more easily read. The right-hand gravestone had a stylised rose carved into its face, an epitaph that read, "Summer Rose. Thus Kindly I Scatter," etched beneath it in a lowered rectangle sunk into the stone. The left-hand gravestone had a stylised burning flame carved into it, the sunken box containing it's own epitaph, "Yang Xiao Long. I Burn, Brightly." Ruby and her father had chosen Yang's words, thinking that they, above all others, had suited her the best, even if some people had been confused.

'It's been a while,' Ruby continued, looking between the two gravestones for a second. 'I'm sorry I'm late this year. I kind of got sidetracked on the way back from Anima and the snow really slowed me down. Dad wanted me to catch up with him as well when I got home so you can blame him if you want.' She angled her head back for a moment, indicating her father who was still waiting by the trees.

'I'm not really supposed to talk about where I've been,' Ruby then said. 'You know how it is with these secret missions. I mean, I don't exactly know who'd be listening here, other than you two. Still, it's supposed to be the principal of the thing; you know.'

Ruby's smile disappeared as a sad frown took it's place. 'Its all been getting harder out there, you know. Pierette's still not talking to us and the last time we tried she told the Council to bar all of our calls. The Society's been getting bigger and bigger as well but it's also harder to track them. Me and Jaune are trying our best but I just…' Ruby trailed off as she sighed and tried to put her smile back on.

'Sorry,' she said. 'I just needed to say that to someone who won't actually make it about work. Jaune knows, you know, but it's his job as much as it's mine and he has to work out what it all means. He can't just let me unload anymore.'

A particularly strong breeze then flew in from the sea, hitting Ruby with full force and pushing her back a step. Ruby shivered and clutched her cloak, pulling it around her body as her teeth chattered a little. Even after winters in Solitas the cold was difficult for her to ignore.

'Sorry,' she said to the gravestones again. 'I'm going to have to finish things here. I'll try to visit again before I have to go out again.'

With that Ruby turned away from the two graves and walked over to the forest. Still feeling the cold, she wrapped the cloak around her tightly. "I'm going to have to patch this up again," she thought as she looked over the rips and holes in the stained, red cloth.

Her father straightened out, pushing himself off of the tree he had been leaning against and uncrossing his arms as Ruby approached. Ruby gave the man a smile and nodded, indicating that she was definitely finished with her little tradition. He used to do the same thing after Yang died but he had stopped years ago, finding the whole thing as a little unsettling and more likely to dredge up bad feelings than it did for Ruby.

'I'm done,' Ruby said. 'Thanks for coming out with me, dad. I know it's difficult but...'

'It's alright Ruby,' Taiyang Xiao-Long interrupted, raised his hand to wave her concerns away. 'It's not a problem, really.'

'Still,' Ruby continued, 'you know it means a lot to me. Thanks.'

'No problem,' Taiyang said with a smile. He then turned and began to walk into the woods. Ruby followed after him, picking up her pace a little so that she could catch up and take a place by his side.

'So,' Taiyang began as he and Ruby moved deeper into the forest. 'Will you be staying on Patch much longer or...' he trailed off, an expectant look in his eye. Ruby knew that he already knew her answer and smiled apologetically.

'Sorry, dad,' Ruby said. 'I won't really be staying any longer after tonight. I've got to get to Beacon and make a report at some point. I'm already kind of late anyway. Besides, I need to see Jaune as well. I've been putting it all off for long enough. You understand right?'

'Yeah, yeah,' Taiyang answered, a slight downcast look to the smile he wore. 'I knew this would be happening the moment I let you go to Signal.'

'You sure you're not lonely?' Ruby asked. 'I mean… I could always see about getting some help, take the edge off my workload and visit more.'

'Ruby,' Taiyang responded, frowning. 'I'm fine. You ask me this every time you come back.' His smile quickly returned. 'Don't worry about me. I know how to look after myself. Besides, Signal's keeping me busy enough.'

'Really?' Ruby asked, her smile turning sly. 'You haven't been looking on any interlink dating sites have you?'

Taiyang's face became comically nervous and suspicious and he stopped, stooping a little to look around as if he was being watched. 'No,' he said in an exaggeratedly trembly voice, 'why would you think that.' Ruby sniggered a little as her father straightened again. 'Seriously, Ruby?' he chuckled. 'Are you still making that joke?'

'No,' Ruby immediately answered, adopting the same pose and voice that her father had just taken. She then laughed and straightened again. 'Alright, you've got me. I still try it with Jaune. I think he's humouring me these days, though.'

The two of them laughed a little as they continued down the path that they had practically single-handedly beaten through the underbrush. Ruby felt a little better as she took in the almost pristine snow covered woodland around her. Despite seeing much the same in the wild Solitasian mountains for several months in the past year, Patch's version of the scenery was so much more soothing.

'Ruby?' Taiyang then said, a concerned tone in his voice. 'You alright?'

'Yeah, dad,' Ruby replied. 'Just glad to be home for a bit.'

Taiyang sighed, his face downcast. 'I wish you could stay for a little longer, you know?'

'Yeah,' Ruby replied. 'Sorry, dad. I wish I could too. I wish I could bring Jaune here; and Pierrette.' A sad frown emerged on her face. 'I can't right now though.'

'It's really that bad isn't it?' Taiyang asked.

'Yeah,' Ruby answered, honestly. She had to keep a lot of secrets but her father was one of the people she believed needed to know. He had seen enough to qualify. 'It's getting worse. Not in the kingdoms but the wild lands and the disputed territories are getting more dangerous. There's Grimm and the Society out there and they're planning something; something big.'

'Well,' Taiyang said as he seemed to digest the vague words he had been given in a heavy, meaningful tone, 'I believe in you.'

'Thanks, dad,' Ruby said in response.

'It's no problem, Ruby,' Taiyang continued. 'I know you'll deal with this head on. You always have.'

Ruby didn't say anything, merely smiling at her father. She knew he meant every word he had said and, for the most part, she believed him as well. A small part of her, however, continued to worry and doubt. She had seen only a fraction of what the Elder Grimm Society had been mobilising and, after what Salem's faction had done during the Witch War, she knew how dangerous they were if they were prepared enough. She, Jaune and the rest of the Order needed to act as soon as possible but there was just so much they needed to counter and less and less time to prepare.

"I'm sorry, dad," Ruby thought as she looked away from her father and back at the woodland again. "I do want to stay a little bit longer but I need to get back to Beacon as soon as I can. My work's just never done."

 **January** **2** **nd** **1463 of the Vytali Calendar:**

Rapture Brostein looked out of the window of her bedroom and sighed. The view of her home-street was rather depressing. She had always thought it had been a dejecting sight but after the decorative architecture and carefully tended vegetation of Beacon, surrounded by the natural beauty of the plateau that shared the academy's name, the drab, aged terraced housing that stared back at her through the window were especially disheartening. She had heard that Stefan Basilikos, Aurora's father and her own father's employer had built the block better than most others in the district but they were still rather unimpressive from the angle she was watching them from.

'Gods I want to get out of this place,' Rapture mumbled to herself as she packed several more sets of clothes into her extra duffel-bag. The shopping trips with her friends in the previous semester had left her with more clothes and, therefore, she had more luggage to bring. It was a new experience for her.

Her time back home hadn't been that arduous. Her parents had welcomed her with open arms, all too happy to have her back and some of her neighbours had even recognised her and given their own well wishes. The Winter Solstice had also been very nice, her father's seasonal bonus having gone to the holiday's dinner celebration like usual. This year her father had managed to come across a particularly large smoked ham at a bargain, making the meal that bit more special.

For what was going to be the last time for several months, Rapture looked around her room. It was small but she hadn't really had to adjust back to it, having remained used to having little space after sharing her dorm room with three other people. The single person bed took up most of the space, the rest filled by a cupboard that also had the chest of drawers built in. After spending several months in Beacon with the numerous appliances and amenities that they had built in, it had been a bit harder to get used to having so little again; much more so than the space issue.

Folding up some clothes, Rapture placed them in her extra bag. They were the last of her essentials and the rest of the space would be given over to her books and the accessories she actually did use. The first to go in was the ammunition belt she had bought a few months ago. It still didn't have any ammunition to be placed on it but she had spent much of the holiday planning the upgrades she was going to make to her weapons and equipment.

'Rapture,' a deep voice called out from outside the door. 'You in there?'

'Yeah, dad,' Rapture said as she closed up the bag.

'I'm coming in then,' her father said. The door opened and a large figure squeezed his way through the doorway.

Harrow Brostein was a massive man; a crocodile faunus, like her, who had most of his body covered in thick, leathery scales with the exception of his fingers and the front of his face. Like Rapture his more human skin was a dark, greyish green colour like the scales that framed it and looked a lot rougher, having been hardened by countless hours of hard work in difficult weather on construction sites across much of the megacity. Unlike Rapture, however, he had grown his hair quite long – almost down to his shoulders – and shaggy, letting sideburns and a rather short beard frame his human features and blur the area where his scales and softer skin met with thick hair. His body was large and thick with muscle, his arms and broad chest and shoulders straining the sleeveless shirt they were forced into. Even his legs looked powerful though the dusty coloured trousers he wore were, thankfully, a lot larger and looser.

'How you doing, baby girl,' Harrow asked, a small smile on his face.

'I'm almost done,' Rapture replied, slinging her bag over shoulder to show him and then picking up the other one she had already filled.

'You know I'm going to miss you, don't you?' Harrow asked, his smile dropping a little.

'Yeah, dad,' Rapture answered giving him a similar expression. 'I know. Don't worry about it though. I promise I'll call and I'll be careful.'

'You sure,' he immediately said, his frown deepening. He had noticed the remains of her wound from last November. She had passed it off as a training accident which, given their lessons involved going into Grimm infested territory, wasn't unbelievable but he hadn't really believed her. It had been an awkward, unspoken issue over the holiday.

'Don't worry, dad,' Rapture reassured him. 'Seriously, I know what I'm doing. I won't let,' she patted her chest where the thin scar from Aanjay Laal's slashing blow lay, 'this happen again.'

'Alright then,' Harrow responded with a sigh. He then gave her a small smile. 'It's not like I could stop you going back.'

'Dad, come on,' Rapture groaned. 'I'm not leaving you and mom.'

'Well you should be leaving,' Harrow said. 'It's a long walk to the nearest station. When's your flight?'

Rapture put down the other bag in her hand glanced at her scroll. 'I've got to get to the airport in about… four hours.'

'Better get going then,' Harrow said, stepping aside as Rapture picked up her second bag again and began to walk towards the door.

'Where's mom?' Rapture asked as she stepped out of her room and made her way to the stairs down to the entrance hall of the house.

'She's downstairs,' Harrow answered. 'Just got back from work; probably to see you off.'

'Great,' Rapture said. 'Mom!' she then called out as she rushed down the stairs, raising her voice.

'Yeah,' another voice called back. 'I'm coming.'

Eideann Brostein was, like her husband and daughter, quite tall, full-figured and a crocodile faunus. Her body was covered in leathery scales except around her face which looked very similar to Rapture's, a slight thickening of her cheeks and a few stress lines and creases on her brow and around her eyes the most noticeable differences. Like Rapture, she also wore her hair short, keeping it cut close – though Rapture had never asked why. She was dressed in dark trousers and a thick jumper that she had rolled the sleeves of up, revealing arms that were thinner and less muscular and defined than Rapture's.

'I'm off, mom,' Rapture said, shrugging her shoulders to show off the bag slung over them.

'Well you're not getting away without this,' Eideann said as she walked up to Rapture and then engulfed her in a hug. 'You'd better remember to call us before you go to the Vytal Festival.'

'I will, mom,' Rapture said, groaning a little as her mother's embrace tightened. How Eideann was able to exert so much pressure on a Huntress trainee without active Aura and seemingly weaker arms was a genuine mystery that got even more inexplicable every time Rapture became stronger. 'Don't worry about me.'

'Are you sure you'll be alright?' Eideann then asked, giving Rapture a worried look and pressing the tips of her fingers over Rapture's collar, just above the scar.

'Mom,' Rapture said with a sympathetic frown. 'Don't worry. I'll be more careful; I promise.'

Eideann sighed, her own frown deepening. 'If you're sure.'

'Mom, come on,' Rapture tried to say in as confident and careful a tone as she could. 'I've already said the same thing to dad. I… uh,' she paused as she genuinely struggled to think of what next to say. 'I'll… be more careful. Trust me.'

Eideann looked sceptical, having picked up on Rapture's sudden stutter, Harrow doing the same. Rapture sighed in resignation as she realised just how much her parents were now worried about her dreams of being a Huntress. It was a look she had received a lot over the holiday but they hadn't started that winter. It was a concern of theirs' that their home had been harbouring for years now.

'I, uh,' Rapture floundered a little, trying to break the tension she knew was building. 'I've got to go alright. It's a long trip to the station.'

'Alright then; be safe,' Eideann said with a small sigh and a smile.

'I will, mom,' Rapture replied.

'We know you'll do great, baby girl,' Harrow then said, stepping forward and wrapping Rapture in his own firm hug. 'If we don't see you before you go we'll try to catch the Vytal Festival Tournament.'

'Thanks, dad,' Rapture said in response, smiling as she returned the hug. Despite being so much larger than Eideann, Harrow never seemed to try to crush his daughter.

'You'll knock 'em dead,' Harrow continued. 'I know it.'

'Yeah,' Rapture agreed, letting out a little chuckle. Then she felt her father relax his grip and let her go.

'Well, this is it,' Rapture said as she walked over to the door. 'I'll call sometime soon.'

'Alright,' Eideann replied with a smile. 'Good luck.'

'Have a great time, baby girl,' Harrow added.

'I will, thanks,' Rapture said as she opened the door and stepped out. As she reached to shut the door she turned back to her parents. 'Bye,' she called out with a wave, her parents returning it as Rapture swung the door shut.

Shutting the door, Rapture took in a breath and walked out into the street. There had been iron railing separating a thin strip of concrete that served as the front of the property from the pavement of the street but that had been ripped out and taken away long ago. Walking past the short stone wall that had once borne the railing, Rapture immediately turned left and walked down the avenue. None of the stations in her sub-district would actually take trains, all of the public services having abandoned the faunus ghetto years ago and so she would have to walk to a human region to find some kind of public transit. It was going to be a very long journey.

Garbage was piled up on the edges of the streets, some of it packed into bulging bags that, in several cases, had split open and spilled stained refuse back onto the pavement. Some of it was, at least, piled back up and out of the way so that people didn't have to kick rotten food and other miscellaneous or unidentifiable rubbish aside in order to make it down the streets. Rapture knew that some local people had set up a garbage collection service of their own, otherwise there would be months of uncollected garbage but it was infrequent and usually under-equipped, struggling to keep up with the rising amounts of rubbish and refuse. Graffiti covered every reachable wall, some of it layering over and obscuring others. Only the images that Rapture knew were local gang symbols were untouched by newer graffiti, in some cases having been retouched to make sure that the symbol didn't fade away.

Rapture kept her eyes forward as she walked down the street and shook her hands a little, feeling the bracelets of Long Claw rubbed against her skin, reminding her that they were there. Few people walked the streets unless they had to and there were really only two reasons for that. The first reason was that they had work; the other was that they were in one of the gangs. Otherwise the streets Rapture walked were eerily empty.

"Gods I want to get out of this place," Rapture thought, scowling as she continued down her street. For an instant she thought of her home and parents as she walked past another pile of bulging garbage-bags that lay on the side of the road and scowling. "The sooner I get us out of this shithole, the better."

* * *

Aurora Basilikos walked through her room's ensuite walk-in wardrobe, carefully going through her considerable collection of outfits in preparation for the new semester. She had already set aside her school uniform sets as well as her Huntress outfits but her more casual clothing was still largely undecided.

'Probably too much for Vacuo,' Aurora thought as she looked over a long, jet black dress with purple highlights around the hem and sleeves and a pair of slits on either side that went up half of the leg, to the thigh level.

Everything she picked had to be practical now, the climate of Vacuo making most of her preferred outfits rather inappropriate for the coming trip. Putting the dress back on its hanger, she sighed and picked up several other articles of clothing she had already selected and walked back into her bedroom.

Aurora's room was massive, verging almost on cavernous. Her father had designed the house long ago and her room had been planned to be one of his more luxurious statements of his – then – newfound wealth. Apparently her father, whilst not exactly irresponsible with money, had once had a habit of showing off and living the "high-life" before he met Aurora's mother. The idea of her father being some kind of tabloid-feeding playboy, whilst running a growing construction and real estate empire at the same time, no less, was practically absurd to Aurora. Still, her room continued to serve as a statement that the Basilikos family had plenty of money to spare.

The room rose up on tall walls to a vaulted ceiling that, thankfully was bare and stark, alabaster. The walls had been painted long ago in a rose-pink shade of colour that she had stopped liking years ago when her wardrobe and personal fashion choices shifted to black and darker shades of purple. Her bed, which was situated next to the door of the ensuite, was a massive four-poster design with a purple cover over the tester that hung and secured slightly lighter purple drapes that surrounded the rest of the frame.

A series of ornate, white desks and bookshelves took up the wall across from the bed, every piece of furniture bearing the same colour and Classical design with imitation gold filigree script – supposedly written in dead, pre-Valesian languages – carved into the borders of every surface and along the legs. With the exception of some pillars, the wall to Aurora's right was made entirely of glass, the pillars holding up the hinges for the glass doors that led out onto her room's balcony. Across from that was the door to her room, the wall it was set into bare and unfurnished but still painted in the same colour scheme as the room.

Aurora's room had been like this for as long as she could remember and after sharing a smaller room with three others for several months, it had been both a relief and a little odd to have her cavernous room to herself once again. For the first time since she was thirteen, Aurora had noticed that noises echoed in her room – she had proceeded to childishly play around with that every now and then over the holiday. It had, however, made her feel rather alone over the winter, something that hadn't exactly been a problem to her for a long time; until now.

She had, of course, had her family to keep her company, especially during the Solstice celebrations as well as the children of her parents' friends who they had hosted. Talking with several of her older friends had become awkward, especially those who weren't even close to the Hunting profession. That too had been a problem over the past few years during her time at Signal but since she had started at Beacon it had now become much more apparent.

As she lay the clothes she had selected down on her bed, ready to be picked up the serving staff to be packed, Aurora sighed. 'Two hours before I leave,' she mumbled to herself, looking at the large, silver-bodied clock that hung on the wall opposite her bed.

"That's the last of my casual clothing," Aurora thought, frowning as she went over what had been a considerable mental list of items she was organising. "The servants have already been told to pack my personal items and I've already taken care of Dark Majesty, ammunition and spare parts. My textbooks are also packed along with the reference material I asked for. What else is there? Make-up?" she looked over at the series of packed boxes by her door. "Check. Looks like everything is ready."

Aurora thought of reading a book and went over to the book shelves to pick something. She walked back and forth in front of them as she scanned the titles, looking for anything that would catch her interest but then paused. Aurora finally noticed that she had been pacing, something that didn't happen very often and that she only ever did if she was both bored and restless. A book wouldn't exactly help her there, Aurora had tried that before and failed.

"I should go for a walk," Aurora thought as she straightened up again.

Walking away from the bed, Aurora opened the door to her room and stepped out into the corridor. She stepped into a stark, marble white hallway with walls that led to a vaulted ceiling, as high as the one in her room. Gold filigree crawled up the pillars that intersected the walls and the lintel at the top, exactly like the script on her furniture. The ceiling, meanwhile, had been made of a Dust infused stone that glittered like water in the light of the crystal chandeliers that hung from the stately arches that intersected the ceiling.

Portraits and statue busts were lined on or along the walls. The Basilikos family had only been wealthy for one generation and didn't have storied history that was worth commissioning paintings over. Most of the artwork in their home, with the exception of a few new family portraits, were unrelated art pieces that Stefan and Naeva had bought for their own preferences. Aurora paused in the doorway to her room and looked up at a painting depicting a quiet garden scene with a gazebo by a lake and a background composed of densely packed trees and a clear, blue sky. It was supposedly an authentic production from a famous artist but Aurora found it generic and uninspiring, especially since it was the first thing she saw every time she stepped out of her room.

Without missing a step, Aurora walked out of her room, letting the door swing shut and then lock automatically and turned left. She strode down the corridor, turning right at an intersection and wandering. The Basilikos mansion was massive and the estate that surrounded it was many times larger, situated in the Vale megacity's North-West Residential District, a vast territory of hundreds of miles given over to the kingdom's landed wealthy and elite.

Taking a left turn at another intersection, Aurora leisurely strolled through the maze-like halls of her home. She had just turned onto the corridor that led directly to the grand staircase of her home when she saw someone else walking up the stairs from the main hall below.

'Aurora,' Naeva Basilikos said in an even tone. 'I was just about to come for you.'

'Mother,' Aurora greeted.

'Have you packed and made sure that everything is ready?' Naeva asked as she strode to her daughter. She was wearing a long, golden dress that was highlighted by darkened silver lining and reached down to her ankles. The dress was somewhat conservative, with long sleeves and a high neckline but still clung to Naeva's form and showed the Huntress grace that she exhibited when she walked.

'Yes, mother,' Aurora replied as Naeva walked up to her. Her mother had her usual, naturally authoritative expression on her face.

'Good,' Naeva said in an even tone. She then relaxed, a small smile emerging on her face. 'And what yourself? Are _you_ ready to go back to Beacon.'

'Yes, mother,' Aurora replied with any hesitation. 'I'm looking forward to going back.'

'That's good to hear,' Naeva said in response, her tone softening and the smile growing.

'Thank you, mother,' Aurora said. She felt a little awkward, especially since she had her mother following her on her aimless wandering.

'Aurora,' Naeva then said, startling Aurora out of her thoughts. 'Will you be alright?'

Aurora blinked a little in confusion. 'Yes, mother,' she finally answered. 'I'll be fine.'

'Listen, dear,' Naeva then said. 'I know you don't want to hear this from me, especially after all of the conversations we've had, but you need to be careful. I don't want any repeats of the incident last semester.'

'I understand, mother,' Aurora replied, holding back a sigh and trying not to look depressed.

'I really hope you do,' Naeva responded, a hint of concern in her voice. 'I don't like to keep bringing this back up or repeating myself either but I know, better than anyone, what this means for you. I don't want to see everything you've worked for thrown away because of a mistake. Senior-school training is the crucial part of your education. You need to make sure that you graduate, with honours.'

'I… I understand, mother,' Aurora said after a momentary pause. She had told herself this many times in the last few years and been told it be her parents as well. The last few times, however, her parents had become so much more foreboding about the subject. Her near brush with public arrest and expulsion had frightened them just as much as it had frightened her – and they didn't even know about the battle in the Agricultural District that had taken place after he first warning they had given her.

'I'm glad to hear that,' Naeva said in response, her smile returning.

The two of them continued to walk, Naeva following every time Aurora turned a corner to continue her wandering. Still worried and a little downcast after yet another reminder of her mistakes, Aurora focused on the artwork they were passing by. It was when they reached a large pair of window-doors that led to the balcony that lay over the main entrance to the mansion that Naeva stopped.

'Aurora,' Naeva said, stopping Aurora in her tracks. 'I know it's been difficult dealing with all of these lectures from your father and I.'

Aurora turned and looked at her mother, blinking a little. 'Mother,' she began.

'I just want to say,' Naeva interrupted, 'that your father and I do believe you can do this. More than anyone, I believe you can definitely become a fine Huntress.'

'Tha… thank you, mother,' Aurora said.

'I don't want you to leave thinking that we believe you will fail at Beacon or that we're going to drag you out of school the next time we get a concerning call from them,' Naeva continued. 'I understand we've probably not been that helpful with all of these reminders but we only want you to do your best and succeed.'

'I understand, mother,' Aurora replied, smiling for her mother. 'Thank you.'

'Good,' Naeva said in response. She then looked around. 'Would you rather we walk in the gardens?' she then said. It may still be cold but the weather is supposed to be clear and I'm sure it would much nicer than the corridors.'

Aurora looked at her surroundings and then took a quick glance through the balcony doors. The sky was clear, the snow from November and December had melted away completely and the still trees in the distance indicated that there as barely a breeze. Whilst not exactly brilliant, the weather looked harmless for January.

'That does sound nice, mother,' Aurora said and with that, followed after Naeva.

* * *

The Vale National Airport was full, crowds of people bustling back and forth and practically jostling with one another for space in the clogging thoroughfares. Late returning holidaymakers and commuting businessmen, humans and faunus, people from near and far, all of them filled the airport as they tried to catch their flights or find the exits back into the city. Security and other staff tried to keep the throngs of people in orderly queues as they tried to access terminals and information points and received endless tides of abuse and complaints from the stressed and impatient customers.

Looking down from the VIP interior maglev that carried himself and other wealthy passengers above the chaos, Peter Hamlin thanked each and every god he could think of that he was not down there. He sighed in sympathetic exasperation as the maglev passed over the other customers below, several of them looking up at him and the other wealthy passengers with envy and irritation.

Ignoring them, Peter watched it all pass by quickly, the maglev rocketing over the raised railing built high up the building's walls. Despite the speed, the interior of the train remained still, inbuilt buffers keeping the passengers and their belongings from feeling the acceleration. Peter took out his scroll and opened an interlink page, idly flicking through the local news as the maglev moved into a tunnel and disappeared from the sight of the customers below them.

Several minutes later the maglev smoothly came to a halt in a pristine, silver coloured station and opened its doors, letting the passengers disembark. Peter put away his scroll and strode out into the station, holding his coat closed so that his arsenal in Symphonic Edge didn't catch on anything – or anyone – and letting several older passengers by before stepping through the doors.

The station was a meticulously clean area with high, plastalloy walls and a panel floor that gleamed in the light cast from the thin, rod shaped lights fixed directly into the ceiling. Several glass, interactive panels were also built into the walls, passengers standing in front of them to access information or take care of business. Peter took a breath as he walked forward, detecting the scent of cleaning products that were being masked slightly by the smell of mint that was likely being dispensed for the sake of the VIPs. To Peter the entire design was very familiar; practically Atlesian.

Peter had been told upon landing that his luggage would be picked up by the staff and loaded onto the skywhale to Beacon and that he didn't have to physically collect it – a fact that relieved him as he had brought quite a lot with him. All he had to do was head over to a terminal so that he could confirm his tickets and then wait at the gate. He was about to go directly to one of the interactive screens when a voice called out to him.

'Hello, Peter,' Adelheid said, causing Peter to turn around and see the Schnee heiress approach him.

'Ah, Adelheid,' Peter said, smiling as he slowed down to let her catch up and stand by his side. 'It's good to see you. How was your holiday?'

Adelheid gave a tight smile that had heavy tones of disingenuousness behind it. 'It was… alright, if uneventful, by my family's standards. Yourself?'

'Oh quite alright, thank you,' Peter answered as the two of them walked up to an unoccupied interactive terminal. 'Not much happened aside from the usual family celebrations; and preparations for the Vytal Festival, of course.'

'Is that so?' Adelheid then said smirking as she reached forward and pressed her scroll to the terminal's screen. The screen read her ID quickly and brought up a menu with the symbol for the international transportation community's platinum membership card on it.

'And how are you coming along?' she asked as she flicked through the options and then pressed her scroll, which a digital copy of her ticket on it, to the terminal and received a chime of confirmation.

'Quite well,' Peter preened as Adelheid logged off of the terminal and stepped back to give him access. 'If I do say so myself.'

He pressed his own scroll to the screen and received a similar screen. His membership card's symbol was gold, however, getting a somewhat superior smirk from Adelheid. Peter gave her a look of exaggerated dismissal in return and then turned back to the screen. He submitted his own ticket and received confirmation and stepped back.

'And how about you?' he asked.

'Quite well, myself,' Adelheid replied, like him she was holding back on the details. It was clearly going to be a game now. 'I do come from a somewhat accomplished Hunting family after all.'

'And I from a lineage of warriors and lords,' Peter said in response, playful pomposity in his tone as he put a hand to his chest.

'Do you really think you should be acting like that in public?' Adelheid asked as she gave an aside glance to the rather full station.

'Hmmm, probably not,' Peter replied. He then looked about to see other passengers were waiting for their opportunity to use the terminals. 'We should probably head off to the gate now,' he suggested.

'Yes,' Adelheid agreed. 'Shall we?'

'Sounds best,' Peter agreed, giving Adelheid one of his more charming smiles. She gave a reserved smile in return and Peter resisted the urge to grin wider at earning demure behaviour from her. He then gave a half-bow. 'Ladies first.'

Adelheid's smile quickly turned into a self-assured smirk as the game began again. 'Of course,' she said and then walked away from the screen and ahead of Peter as he turned and sped up his pace to get back to her side.

They exited the station and entered the corridor that connected it to the VIP section. Like the previous area it was a clean, almost sterile section of polished glass and silvery walls. There were several more interactive panels and three doors rimmed by metallic panelling that had been coloured gold. Peter was familiar with them. The one on his left led to the VIP lounge, a luxurious space that he knew included a bar, restaurant and cinema for those who wanted to use them. The right-hand door was the information registry desk, where visitors could get further information and use one of the minor CCT hubs that the airport contained. The last door, directly in front of him would take him and Adelheid out into the public areas.

'So,' Peter began as they stepped through the door and walked out into the corridor, 'how was your Solstice?'

Adelheid frowned and let out a small sigh but didn't interrupt her pace. 'It was… adequate. The Schnee family had their annual family celebration.' She then paused for a moment, still walking alongside him. 'How about yours?'

'Mine was fine, thank you,' Peter replied. 'My own family had their annual celebration as well. My father also organised the festival in the Caerlorn settlement for the Solstice events.'

For a moment he thought back to the feast his father had organised in Caerlorn's town hall and gave a small smile. It had been especially extravagant to celebrate the Solstice and the coming year, especially the returning Vytal Festival tournament. Offerings had been made to the gods in hope of a good spring and for requests for Atlas' victory in the Vytal Festival Tournament. Being in a different school and thus torn between patriotism and his own ambitions, Peter had simply wished for his own success and left it there. Around the middle of the evening, when the afternoon snowstorms had cleared, the younger members of the Hamlin family had gotten into a snowball fight with several of the local children. It had started a small fight between many of the Hamlin's aristocratic and middle class family embers over who was responsible for the state the kids were in when they returned to the town hall. Thankfully that had been smoothed over before it escalated into anything too embarrassing.

'Your family handle public festivals?' Adelheid asked as they rounded a corner and moved over to one of the large central elevators.

'Only for the Caerlorn district,' Peter answered, a hint of pride in his tone. 'Our family have been involved with the regional capital for several generations; since the royal family married into the Mantleic monarchy. My father has always been rather enthusiastic about festivities and he really wanted to get involved this year, what with the Vytal Festival restarting.'

'Yes,' Adelheid then said as they arrived in front of the elevator and walked into it along with a large crowd of other passengers. 'My parents also held a special party this year to celebrate the Vytal Festival.'

'And how was it?' Peter asked. He took a moment, as he asked the question, to look up as the elevator started moving smoothly.

Adelheid frowned and looked down for a moment, an intense look of contemplation on her face. 'It was… alright, I suppose,' she then said in a careful tone. 'It was essentially an extension of our usual family celebrations so it was rather exclusive. The entire family attended this year.'

Peter frowned a little as he watched the heiress. Adelheid's face had fallen as she spoke, her own frown slowly morphing into a slight grimace as she spoke. He then noticed, as she was finishing, that the elevator had reached their floor. The door opened and Adelheid stepped forward ahead of him, the grimace now gone and the more controlled frown back on her face. Peter followed a step behind her, picking up his pace again to catch up with her as they both walked in the direction of the gate they were supposed to wait at.

'I see,' Peter said, trying to think about what to say as quickly as he could, realising what he had done by bringing up the topic of the party. 'Speaking of the Vytal Festival a moment ago, did you hear anything from your team over the holiday?'

'Tom called me and sent me a training plan he had made for when we head over to Vacuo,' Adelheid answered. 'I don't think Lach was able to afford a long distance call outside of the school's system and Elizabeth wouldn't bother, at last as far as I see it.'

'I see,' Peter said, considering the new conversation a little safer. 'I received a few calls from Aurora, who relayed some messages from Rapture and Greta on the Solstice.'

'What did they say?' Adelheid then asked.

'They were just wishing me well,' Peter replied. 'I gave them my good wishes for the holiday as well.'

'That sounds nice,' Adelheid said. She then sighed, looking a little depressed. 'I did get well wishes from Tom in the plan he sent, in fact that was the first thing he wrote in the message. I think he also tried to send me some on behalf of the rest of the team.'

'That's good to hear,' Peter said in response, giving a sympathetic smile. Adelheid smiled a little in return and then sighed again.

The two of them made it to the gate and took a seat as they waited. There were dozens of students already standing around, chatting or waiting in their own seats for the announcement to begin boarding. As he looked around, he realised that this was it, the second semester was about to begin.

'So,' he began, turning to Adelheid. 'Do you feel ready for the Festival?'

'No,' Adelheid answered. Peter raised an eyebrow at her and she smirked. 'But that doesn't mean I won't win.'

'Oh I see,' Peter said in response, smirking back at her. 'Well I will do my best to give you a challenge and who knows; maybe I'll win instead.'

'Alright then,' Adelheid drawled in a lightly mocking tone. She then extended her hand out. 'Then may the best Hunter win.'

'Yes,' Peter said, taking her hand in a firm grip and shaking it, his own challenging smirk growing and threatening to turn into a grin. 'May the best Hunter win.'

* * *

Greta laid back on her bed, reached out her hand, grabbed a small handful of crisps from a bag that was by her side and tried to fit them in her mouth, a couple almost slipping from her grip as she realised she had taken too many. Swallowing her snacks and brushing loose crumbs off of the duvet, Greta sighed and settled back down again. In her other hand was the latest issue of the Huntsman comic series which she had been reading for the last few minutes as she waited for the returning students to arrive.

The current issue had been gripping her; the Huntsman, having once again faced his sworn enemies in the Crimson Syndicate, had been captured by the dangerous and seductive villainess, Asha Rouge. He and his sidekick, Bok, the Hunting Hound, were currently tied up, upside down and hanging over a vat of steaming acid as Asha, flanked by her elite minions, once again gloated about her latest nefarious scheme and offered the Huntsman one last chance to join her.

Greta turned the page, not exactly gripped by the story anymore but still giving it attention – it was a cliffhanger ending anyway. She liked the Huntsman series and had been rather surprised at the school library's extensive collection, going all the way back to the first ever issue published back in the fourteen-forties. At the moment, however, it was just a way to kill time.

As she had promised her team, she hadn't been bored, having found several ways to keep herself busy; she was just rather lonely. She had called Rapture and Aurora, outgoing calls from Beacon being free but the school was only willing to cover national calls during the holidays. International calls were charged for use and she had nowhere near enough money to call Peter over in Atlas. Aurora had, thankfully, agreed to send messages to him on her behalf, to help keep him up to date with the rest of Team GRAP.

The Solstice itself had been an odd affair. Most of the teachers had gone home and the few remaining staff on campus had organised some celebrations for the students who were left. There were some prayer sessions for the more religious students and then a small, mandatory party and feast. Greta had been forced to join in and, despite not knowing any of the others who had been forced into the cafeteria with her, had managed to make it through with only a few people attempting to make awkward small talk with her. She did remember her promise to make more friends at the beginning of the previous semester but now that she had comfortably befriended her teammates, Team TEAL and, to a lesser extent, Team JETT, meeting new people now was just a bit too much for her.

Sighing, Greta put down the comic and picked up her scroll from the bedside table it had been lying on. She flicked it open and brought up an interlink page. Aside from some basic news about kingdom affairs and the constant reports on some new councilman named Duncan Raine, there wasn't really much going on. Talk of the Red Fang had died down months ago and last year's crime war, as the news now called it, was over. Everything was peaceful and despite offering her nothing to read about, that was all Greta asked for.

'Maybe another movie,' Greta mumbled to herself, ready to bring up the saved selection of downloads she had made over the holiday when, suddenly, her scroll then began to buzz.

Greta blinked as her scroll's holographic surface was taken up by a timer. It read three-fifteen with a calendar entry underneath the emboldened numbers. "Everyone get's back to Beacon," the entry read.

'Yes,' Greta exclaimed, her face lighting up and a somewhat giddy energy filling her. The wait was finally over; her team would be returning to the academy.

Throwing herself off of her bed and almost tripping over the hem of her dress as she did so, Greta grabbed her shoes and put them on. Pocketing her scroll and pulling a thick coat off of the doorknob of her wardrobe, she threw open her dorm's door and raced out into the hall. She couldn't wait for everyone to get back, her partner's face taking up the most space in her mind's eye as she tried to recall them, ready to pick them out of the crowd. She couldn't wait.

* * *

Aanjay Laal sat in her cell, silent except for the occasional hissed breath of exertion. For the last few months of her solitary confinement she had made a habit of digging her fingers into the ceiling of her cell. Once adequate handholds had been made she had begun to do pull-ups to keep herself in shape. When the guards had noticed and moved her to another cell, she had simply done the same again, shrugging off their attempts at intimidation and physical force and continuing on until they had tased her and brought her to the ground.

After eight cells and seven transfers they had simply forced thick, all enclosing cuffs on her to keep her hands encased in metal. Despite the horrific sensations in her hands after several months of almost total immobility, Aanjay had found a way to carry on. She now used the heavy metal cuffs as weights, keeping her strength up through constant lifting of her thick shackles.

She couldn't let herself grow weak. She had seen what was coming.

The sound of air parting to an odd slicing noise heralded what Aanjay had been anticipating and fearing for months. A black slit opened up in the air in front of her like a wound in reality and began to leak red light that pulsated and throbbed as it expanded into a spherical portal. From out of it stepped Iseabal Beathas, her elder sister in the Elder Grimm Society. Iseabal was, as always, immaculately dressed in her favoured black dresses, an ornate handgun holstered at her hips and another in her right hand. After stepping through the portal, she took a relaxed pose, her free hand hand on her hips and a superior smirk on her lips.

'Aanjay,' Iseabal greeted, nodding her head a little but always looking down at Aanjay on the floor in front of her.

'Beathas,' Aanjay grunted in response. The woman may be her superior but she would never grovel at Iseabal's feet like so many others.

'It's time to get to work,' Iseabal said simply, her smirk turning into a vicious grin. Raising the handgun in her hand, she aimed it at a spot behind Aanjay's head and fired.

A Dust round shot out and snapped a plastalloy tether that had chained Aanjay to the wall. Iseabal then turned and walked back through the portal, leaving the wound in the world to throb harder and brighter, as if both inviting and urging Aanjay to step through.

Aanjay stood up and stared at the portal for a moment, wondering if she would see the dark things that swam in the space between the portals in the pulsating light. Then with a deep breath and an icy feeling in her stomach that she just couldn't quash, Aanjay stepped through the portal, finally free of Vale and ready to begin her servitude to the true gods of Remnant.


	2. Chapter Two: Many Happy Returns

**Chapter** **Two** **:** **Many Happy Returns** **:**

 **January** **2** **nd** **1463 of the Vytali Calendar:**

Greta was breathing heavily as she waited at the Beacon skydocks. The giddy, excited energy that had propelled her out of her room had dissipated and she felt a little awkward for rushing like she had. Though, physically, she had calmed down quite a lot, Greta couldn't help but feel nervous. The rest of Team GRAP was about to return and she was nervous about seeing them again after so long. A part of her was aware that it was odd to be so anxious about this when it had only been a little over a month but she had not really had close friends before coming to Beacon and she had missed them all.

Looking out over the edge of the Beacon plateau's western cliffs, Greta saw the approaching skywhales. What had once been a series of vague, dark dots, indistinguishable from the other aircraft that flew over the eastern Vale megacity were now becoming larger and more defined as they came closer, every passing minute increasing their size.

Leaning on some railing that separated the skydock platforms and the open air they hung over, Greta looked out from the plateau and watched, waiting for the ships to arrive. Feeling frustrated by the slow, ponderous movements of the flying transports, she looked down at her scroll in a futile attempt to see whether or not they were on schedule. Giving up on willing her scroll's watch to speed up, Greta put the device back in her pocket and huffed in impatience. She had rarely felt like this before, the last time she could remember being when she had waited for her examination results in her final year of Signal.

Finally, the ships docked, boarding ramps extending out from the ship and the sides of the pier and connecting together. Barely a few seconds after the passenger doors had opened, students began streaming out along with aircraft staff who were dealing with the moorings and the luggage that was being automatically unloaded. Greta stayed where she was, seeing no need to wander into a crowd and fighting the tide on the off-chance she bumped into her friends. There was a higher possibility of spotting them as they came through the skydock's gate's instead.

The front of the wave of students quickly passed over the lip of the skydock piers. Greta recognised a couple and they, in turn recognised her, a few even waving at her in greeting. She did the same and smiled a little but kept her eyes open for any sign of the rest of her team and team TEAL.

People went by for several more minutes as Greta tried to pick out the faces she was looking for. Moving a little closer, she finally saw someone; Lach walking along the edge of the crowd.

'Lach!' Greta called out, raising her right arm and waving it. 'Lach! Over here!'

Lach continued walking and Greta was about to call out again and maybe even wade into the crowd when he turned and noticed her.

'Greta!' he called out in greeting, his voice carrying over the noise around them all. He changed direction and moved out of the crowd towards her.

'Hey Lach,' Greta said as he finally made it over to her section of the skydocks. 'How are you?'

'I'm doin' fine,' Lach said in response. 'How was yer holiday? Miss us while we were gone?'

'Yeah,' Greta admitted.

'Well I'm back,' Lach continued, 'and I saw Tom and Rapture at the airport. They want on ta different ships though, but I know they're comin'.'

'Great,' Greta said, looking out at the piers in the distance and the ships moored to them. 'Great. I wonder when they'll get here.'

Lach looked out as well. 'There aren't that many ships still waitin' ta land.'

'Do you want to wait here with me?' Greta then asked.

'I was gonna hang around here until someone showed up,' Lach replied with a shrug.

'Great,' Greta said in response. She then settled her back on the guardrail again and turned back to the column of students.

Lach joined her, the two of them chatting a little as they waited for their friends to arrive. Greta tried to keep the topic away from her holiday, not wanting to have to repeat herself every time one of her friends arrived. Lach, thankfully, didn't mind when she told him exactly that and decided to do the same.

It took several more minutes until Lach suddenly pointed into the crowd and called out. 'I see Rapture,'

Greta looked at the area he had pointed and quickly saw a tall figure move through the crowd, many of the students having moved aside to give her a wide berth. Even from a distance Greta could make out some of the disquieted expressions on the faces of those who had surrounded Rapture but weren't trying to get close. Rapture, herself, was ignoring it all, a duffel-bag slung over her shoulder and another in the crook of her right arm.

'Rapture!' Greta called out, Lach doing the same and waving with her to get Rapture's attention.

It took a few tries but Rapture eventually noticed them, turning around and backtracking, a relieved smile on her face. She looked rather tired and slumped a little when she finally reached them, both of her bags dropping to the floor.

'Hey guys,' Rapture said as she straightened a little before leaning on the guard rail and sighing.

'Hi,' Greta said in response, Lach giving his own greeting a second later. He also clapped Rapture on the shoulder as he did so, giving a sympathetic smile as he noticed the faunus girl's fatigued state.

'You alright?' Greta asked, giving a concerned frown.

'I'm okay,' Rapture replied. 'I just had to get up early and take a long walk to get to a working station terminal. Even with the train and airship I'm kinda wiped out.' She then paused and yawned. 'I hate mornings.'

'It's five in the afternoon,' Greta said in response, her voice taking on a sarcastic tone.

'And?' Rapture asked in a similar tone. They both stared in silence, Lach on the sidelines with a look that suggested amusement.

'I've missed you,' Greta then said, a small smile on her face.

'Yeah,' Rapture agreed. 'Me too.'

Once again, they settled down to wait. Greta felt a lot calmer now that two of her friends, one of them a member of her team, were now back at Beacon with her. Everything she felt at the moment – and the past while – was unfamiliar and odd and she was almost glad that it was going away.

'So,' Greta began, 'why did you have to take a long walk?'

'My district's not visited by the buses,' Rapture explained. 'I also don't have any maglev stations nearby so I had to get there by myself. It's kind of a trip.'

'Sounds rough,' Lach commented, receiving an agreeing grunt from Rapture.

'Yeah,' Greta said. 'Sorry to hear that.'

'It's alright,' Rapture responded. 'I don't have to do it that often.'

'I guess,' Greta said, unsure of what to say next. She remained silent for a few seconds, trying to think of another topic besides the holiday and, as she looked in Rapture's direction, noticed someone else.

'Tom?' she asked absently to herself as she caught a brief glimpse of the short team leader, his head quickly disappearing amongst the crowd of much taller students only to reappear again. 'It's Tom,' she then said to the others who looked in the same direction and spotted him.

They all called out to him and waved and, after a few seconds, Tom finally noticed. He hadn't been able to see them and it was actually because of someone in the crowd, a first year who knew who they were and who Tom was, pointed them out to him.

'Hi guys,' Tom said as he walked up to them. 'I was just about to text you all.'

'That sounds like a good idea,' Lach said offhandedly, receiving a few nods of agreement from Greta and Rapture.

'Hi Tom,' Greta greeted Tom. 'How are you doing?'

'Hi guys,' Tom repeated. 'I'm fine, thanks. How are you all?'

'I'm doing alright, thanks,' Greta said, Rapture and Lach saying much the same.

'Greta,' Tom continued, taking a place on the guard rail and leaning on it with the others. 'How was the Solstice?'

'It was alright,' Rapture answered before Greta could say anything. 'My dad was able to get a bargain on a turkey this year. You?'

'Oh I had a great time,' Tom said in response. 'My uncle hosted the town's celebration. He does it every year.'

'So you got a place at the head a' the table?' Lach asked, a friendly grin on his face.

'No,' Tom said. 'I was at another table with a couple of friends from the village. What about you Lach?'

'It was alright,' Lach replied. 'My parents and my uncles had all saved up for the holiday so we had a decent party. I kinda had to look after the kids though.'

'I'm gonna text Peter and Aurora,' Greta interrupted, already typing a message on her scroll. 'Sorry,' she then said when everyone turned to her.

Before anyone else could say anything, Greta scroll chimed, telling her she had a received a message. Greta opened her scroll and saw that it was from Peter.

"I am with Aurora, Adelheid and Elizabeth," the message read. "We are currently waiting at the second airship on the northern-most pier for out luggage.'

'Guys,' Greta said, suddenly feeling excited and energetic again. 'Peter's just told me he's with the others on the other side of the skydocks. Should we go and meet up with them?'

'Sounds good ta me,' Lach said, the others also nodding and giving their assent.

'Alright,' Greta then said. 'He said he's on the second ship at the north pier. Follow me.'

With that they set off, wading into the largely dispersed crowds. Most students had either split off into their own cliques or were moving in the direction of the dorms. Business as usual was rapidly settling on Beacon again.

The group chatted as they walked past the other piers and made their way towards the one that was furthest away from them. Greta didn't join, except whenever anyone asked a general question: she would usually offer some kind of affirmative when that happened and then let the others carry on with whatever they were talking about. She just wanted to get the whole group back together after over a month of being apart.

They passed one ship after another as the fleet of skywhales all finished docking. The last few columns of returning students had now made it through the skydocks and the area was emptying, except for those who had come with excessive luggage; and it was at the north pier where those particular students were waiting for their belongings to be unloaded by a small army of porters that had been ferried over from the airport with them.

As they turned onto the pier, Greta saw what she guessed were the first of the richer students to land walking onto the campus, long trains of luggage-laden trolleys alongside them. Dodging out of the way of a remote controlled droid tractor pulling three trolleys full of boxes and flanked by a trio of what looked like haughty third years, Greta tried to get her bearings.

It felt a little uncomfortable to be surrounded by so many rich people. Despite being around Peter, Aurora and, to a lesser degree, Adelheid and Elizabeth, Greta just didn't feel right in an environment that felt more suited to the wealthy and the privileged. It was like a different, self-contained world on the pier as well dressed students – either in well tailored, custom clothing or expensive brand name outfits – stood around, some chatting to each other, most ignoring the quartet that had wandered into their midst and others, more distressingly, looking their way. Some – thankfully, a rare few – regarded them with distaste, most with disinterest and a few with genuine curiosity. To Greta, it was incredibly awkward. Did every rich kid in Beacon come in separate skywhales from the others? Were they first class transports or something?

'I see 'em,' Lach suddenly called out as they finally made it past the first of the massive airships moored to the pier.

Looking to her right as Lach pointed out what he had seen, Greta finally saw some familiar faces. Standing on the edge of the pier, next to a loading ramp connected to a skywhale that was unloading trolleys, were Peter, Aurora, Adelheid and Elizabeth.

'Guys,' Tom called out first, getting their attention. A few waves were returned – Peter and Aurora giving the most effort whilst Adelheid simply raised her hand in acknowledgement and Elizabeth put her hands on her hips and turned to face their direction.

'Hello,' Aurora called back, a smile on her face. 'It's good to see you again.'

'Hi,' Greta said as she finally walked up to the quartet. 'How are you all doing.'

'I'm fine, thank you,' Aurora answered first.

'As am I,' Peter also said, speaking up and stepping forward.

'Hi, Peter,' Greta greeted her partner, feeling a little better for finally seeing him. It finally felt like the group was back together.

Looking away from Peter, an odd sensation settling over her, she saw Team TEAL were greeting and catching up with one another as well. Despite Elizabeth and Adelheid having much more stoic and disinterested expressions on their faces their stances were much more relaxed and they were making just as much of an effort to keep the conversation going as Tom and Lach. In their own odd way it looked like they were happy to be together again as well.

'So,' Peter then began, 'how was your Solstice?'

'I, um,' Greta paused and looked around. Everyone was present now so there wasn't a need to wait. 'It was alright. I kind of just did my own thing. The school did hold a celebration that I was invited to but I didn't really do much in it.'

'Well,' Peter said, a small frown on his face. 'I'm glad to hear it was alright for you.'

Greta looked around to see that the others were paying attention. Some of them had rather expectant looks on their faces, as if they were goading her to continue and others seemed to have sympathetic expressions on their faces as if they were trying to pick apart what she had just said.

'How about you guys?' Greta asked, trying to get everyone's attention off of her.

Greta sighed in relief as the group began to tell one another of their holiday experiences, the atmosphere settling down again. She listened to the others, finding out about everyone's holidays, though some of them, especially Adelheid were rather vague and their stories were undefined. As the awkwardness faded away again, the rather pleasant, comfortable feeling returned and Greta smiled.

'Ah,' Peter suddenly said, pointing to the airship. 'I think that's our luggage.'

Greta turned to see one of the droid shuttles pulling a number of trolleys filled with bags. She saw quite a few had the snowflake symbol Greta now recognised as the crest of the Schnee family and their company. The other bags probably belonged to the others as well as they all perked up at the sight of the trolley.

'Let's go then,' Tom said. 'We can all get unpacked.'

'Sure,' Greta agreed. She then paused and thought for a moment as the group all started to follow after the trolleys. 'Do you guys want to do a movie or something?'

'What was that?' Lach asked, turning to look at her.

'I just wanted to know if you guys wanted to watch a movie,' Greta answered, moving to catch up with the others. 'Since we're all back and its been a while. We could do it in our dorm after we've unpacked.'

'Sure,' Tom said. 'That sounds good.'

'I'm kinda tired, though,' Rapture interjected.

'And its going to take a while to get unpacked,' Peter added, getting nods of agreement from Aurora, Adelheid and Elizabeth.

'Oh come on,' Lach interrupted. 'It'll be great to get together and 'ave a good time.'

Peter looked to Aurora who shrugged in return. 'Alright then,' Peter then said.

'Fine,' Rapture added, though she did sigh.

'Girls?' Tom asked as he turned to his other teammates.

'Very well,' Elizabeth answered. 'Why not.'

Adelheid finally sighed and nodded her assent, getting cheers from Lach and Tom. Greta smiled, happy to see that she would get to hang out with her friends before school started, even if it was just for an evening. She began to chat with the others as they stepped off of the pier and onto the edge of the campus. It was then that the entire group halted.

There was a massive crowd in front of them. The steady stream of students that had been heading into the academy had turned around completely and were now all clustering around the skydocks. Most of them looked excited with the confused people on the periphery trying to find out what exactly had attracted so many people.

'What d'ya suppose that's about?' Lach asked.

'Do you want to find out?' Tom asked in response, indicating everyone.

'It's worth a look, I suppose,' Peter said, getting some nods and slight words of agreement from several others.

'Uh, excuse me,' Tom said to one of the students at the back of the crowd, someone Greta didn't recognise. 'Do you know what's going on?'

'Ruby Rose is here,' the other student replied, an excited expression on their face as they quickly turned back around and tried to get some kind of view past the crowd.

'Ruby Rose?' Adelheid said, the first to speak as surprise slowly settled down over them. Expressions of slow realisation and disbelief were on the entire group's faces but they were quickly changing into ones of shock and excitement.

'Really?' Aurora asked.

'That's awesome,' Rapture added, sudden excitement evident in the tone of her voice and the expression on her face. She looked in the direction of the crowd, straightening up a little as if that would let her see over the throng of students.

Greta stood in place, a little stunned by the news. If that was true then one of the most important people in all of Vale – no in all of Remnant – was visiting the school and was practically right in front of her. She couldn't see the great heroine through the crowd and a part of her was afraid to. Another part, however, was eager, almost as giddy with apprehension as when she had heard her friends were returning barely half an hour ago, and she wanted to take a look.

'Yeah,' Greta said offhandedly, agreeing with Rapture but still too stunned to properly think of what to say. 'Awesome.'

* * *

Ruby braced herself as the bullhead descended down onto one of the landing platforms attached to the piers of Beacon's skydocks. She smiled as she took in the sights of a Hunting academy opening up for another semester of teaching. The students had already arrived and were filtering onto the main campus, probably heading for their dorms, checking their classes and meeting friends; all things she had done so many years ago – if only for a little while before the world had spun off of balance.

As the aircraft finished its approach and hovered over the landing site, Ruby realised that the crowd would probably spot her. She didn't mind that much; she loved kids – and the weapons they brought to school with them – but she needed to meet up with Jaune again and didn't like the idea of having to fight through a crowd, even if it was of adoring students.

"Please," Ruby prayed quietly to herself. "Let it be a gauntlet… or whatever Weiss calls it, not a mob."

The bullhead touched down and the door to the passenger compartment opened up. As Ruby picked herself and Crescent Rose up and prepared to step off of the vehicle, she heard a call from the cabin.

'It was an honour to have you on board ma'am,' the pilot said, nodding respectfully at her.

'Thanks,' Ruby replied with genuine friendliness, smiling at the man and then turning away to finally put her feet on Beacon's skydocks.

For a moment the noise of the bullhead's engines lifting back off drowned out the sounds of the students and other aircraft but the moment the transport made some distance, Ruby started to hear all the teenagers talking around her. As was always the case when she went into public, everyone was looking her way and some of them wore expectant looks on their faces. After dealing with so many crowds like this one, Ruby knew exactly what to do. She walked forward casually, looked the students in the eye – as much as she could – and waved.

Thankfully there was no deafening cheer. There was, however, an almost deafening wave of chatter that rolled over the entire pier as everyone started to excitedly talk amongst themselves. Ruby continued to walk forward, the group parting to make way for her as she smiled and waved every now and then. The faces of every single person Ruby vaguely looked at lit up the moment her eyes met theirs' and her own become more and more genuine each time it happened.

Ruby was halfway through the crowd when she decided to say something. 'Hi,' she said to no-one in particular. Then the crowd cheered, starting with the people who had been directly in front of her when she said that.

The crowd looked like they were probably going to rush her now thanks to that. "I've made a terrible mistake," Ruby thought as she practically felt the mass of students tense in preparation to charge forward and swamp her in mass of excited, unrestrained flesh and hormones. She would know; she had done things like that before.

'Alright, alright,' a familiar – and welcome – voice said, getting the attention of the crowd. 'Let's give her some space.'

Ruby's smile widened into a grin as she saw the crowd part even further to let Jaune walk up to her. He was grinning in return, just as happy to see her as she was seeing him. Holding back the urge to run at her husband and envelop him in a hug, Ruby settled for raising her right hand and waving at him.

'Hi, Jaune,' Ruby said as she sped up a little.

'Hello, Ruby,' Jaune said in response as they stopped, each facing the other. He was about to say more but stopped and turned his head a fraction of an inch to indicate the crowd they were surrounded by. 'Would you like to come to the office?'

'Sure,' Ruby answered, grinning still.

'Great,' Jaune continued. His voice then lowered and his tone became more serious. 'There's some things I'd like to talk about.'

'Right,' Ruby replied, nodding as her grin shrank into a more serious frown. It was going to be one of those reunions this time.

Without another word they walked off in the direction of Beacon's central tower. The crowd was still watching them but the edges were beginning to disperse and, after several minutes in which Ruby and Jaune got closer and closer to the CCT towers' ground entrance, most of it had thinned as students went back to their own business.

More people turned their way as Ruby and Jaune entered the building, the staff watching them, several giving respectful nods as they passed and caught their eyes. These people were a little bit more used to her presence and didn't stare as much but her arrival did warrant them looking up from their work to recognise and acknowledge her. Ruby did notice there were also some students in the building, likely either early arrivals or those who had stayed on campus over the holiday and, like the crowd outside, they stared in amazement.

They made it to the elevator without incident and stepped inside. He moment the doors were shut and the elevator started rising Ruby tensed. Jaune's hand had reached out and grabbed her shoulder.

She let out a surprised squeak as his grip tightened, span her around to face him and planted his lips on hers. Ruby immediately relaxed and returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tightly. They held each other tightly and kissed for what felt like hours before finally pulling away, both of them grinning giddily as they gazed at one another.

'I've really missed you,' Jaune said, his voice sounding much more relaxed.

'I've missed you too,' Ruby managed to say before Jaune leaned down and kissed her again.

The two of them didn't notice the elevator halt or the doors open as they remained focused on one another; that is until they were interrupted by a somewhat loud cough that practically demanded their attention.

'Would you two like me to give you some privacy?' a familiar gruff voice asked. Ruby pulled back from Jaune and turned her head to see John Smith standing halfway down the room, one his eyebrows raised and a sarcastic smirk on his face.

'Well I would,' Jaune admitted, chuckling a little, 'but I guess we do have work to do.'

'Yeah,' Ruby agreed. She was about to step away when she felt Jaune's grip tighten again.

Before she could do anything he then lifted her feet off of the ground and span out of the elevator, holding Ruby as he did so. She let out another squeal though this one was of excitement and amusement as he pressed his lips to hers again, still in rotation and kissed her. He had span them both around three times before he finally slowed and put her down, pulling his lips from hers to give an even wider grin.

'Just wanted to get that in before we started,' he said in an amused and satisfied tone. 'I didn't think you'd have appreciated that in front of the students though.'

'I don't know,' Ruby replied between a few giggles. 'I'm sure it would have got a fun reaction from them.'

'And probably ended up as the most popular video on the interlink by the end of the day,' John added. 'Again.'

'Oh, yeah,' Jaune said with a dismissive snort and a frown that was quirking into an amused smile. The last time they had performed a public display of affection in front of the academy's students it had been filmed and plastered over dozens of celebrity fan forums. Ruby had found it funny, even if the reposts lasted for weeks – she had learnt to also ignore the weirder and more disturbing comments people made on the videos.

'So I assume we'll be getting down to business now that you're done with your canoodling?' John asked. Despite his words the tone of his voice was light and the amused smirk on his face had softened.

'Yeah,' Jaune answered with a sigh. He then turned to his desk and walked towards it, Ruby following until she was in front of him, the glass desk now between them. John took his own place not too far from Jaune's side, some distance between them as he settled in the corner.

'So,' Jaune then began, his expression serious again. 'What did you find?'

Ruby frowned and held back a sigh, a little upset that, once again, the pleasant reunion was being stopped by the bad news of the outside world. Sighing, she straightened and tried to recollect everything of significance that she had gathered.

'The Society's getting something ready,' Ruby finally said after a few seconds of thought. 'I don't know what exactly they're doing but they've been repurposing old Atlesian factories, you know, the old pre-fab ones they scattered around Remnant during the war. A lot of emptied SDC quarries were also turned into bases. The thing is… every one I'd mapped out at the start of the year was empty when I went back to check on them. It was a few months ago, at about the beginning of that war in Mistral; the Society just started picking everything up.'

'You mentioned that a few times,' Jaune noted. The look on his face was troubled as he went over the news with what little Ruby had been able to tell him while she was in the field.

'Were you ever able to see what they were doing in the factories?' John asked, stepping forward as he spoke.

'I saw robot parts getting shipped in and out but I wasn't able to actually get into any of their bases,' Ruby replied. 'It was mostly old-fashioned stuff, easy to get.'

'And easy to hide,' Jaune added.

'Yeah,' Ruby agreed.

'But still worth trying to track,' John then said. 'Do you think you could identify some of the models they were assembling in those factories?'

'Um, I'm me,' Ruby replied in a slightly sarcastic tone. 'I recognised pretty much everything they were holding the minute I saw them.'

'Then you can put together a list,' John continued, 'and we can feed it through the right channels to see who's been buying or manufacturing them and what surplus has gone missing or into blacked out areas.'

'Sure,' Ruby said. 'Will that mean you want to stay here for a while or do I need to do this quickly?'

'I'd prefer you do it as quickly as you can,' Jaune answered, 'but I do need you to work with us here.'

'Really?' Ruby asked, surprised at Jaune's request.

'Yeah,' Jaune said. 'We've recalled most of our Huntsmen and Huntresses in the field and the Council's requested that they oversee the clean up from the war in the Old Residential District last year and most of them have agreed. We need you to help us out here.'

'What do you need?' Ruby immediately said in response.

'We know that the Society has cells operating within Vale's boundaries and that the Red Fang were working with them in some capacity,' John explained. 'The Council – for as aggravating as they can be – were also a lot more turbulent than usual and their political opinions changed very quickly over the course of the war.'

'We think the Society is either trying to manipulate or has someone on the inside,' Jaune continued.

'You want me to spy on the government,' Ruby asked, a hint of incredulity in her voice. Despite herself and her feelings of surprise she was also a little excited at the prospect of spying on the Council and matching wits with Vale's secret services.

'Not exactly,' Jaune said in response, an apologetic smile on his face. He had apparently read her mind. 'Sorry.'

Eh, it's alright,' Ruby replied, waving Jaune off. 'I didn't really think it would happen.'

'We do need you to keep an eye on them though,' John interrupted. 'As much as you're able to anyway.'

'You do know I'm kind of noticeable, though, right?' Ruby interjected in a sarcastic, but friendly, tone, opening her arms and letting her cape flare open.

'You could put something else on,' John replied in a similar tone.

'Fine,' Ruby sighed. 'I'll break open my wardrobe again.' A stray thought then entered her mind. 'Ooooh, I actually get to use it again… and the armoury.'

'An upside to getting assigned to Vale,' Jaune said, a grin on his face again.

'I'll have to get used to being in the apartment again,' Ruby added.

'I'd be happy to help there,' Jaune then said, his grin widening.

'Ooooh, I'd definitely appreciate the help,' Ruby said in response, her own grin mimicking his and her eyes narrowing.

'Children,' John interrupted in an exasperated tone, 'please, not while I'm in the room. I had enough of that with your last display.'

'Fine,' Jaune sighed, chuckling in a good natured tone. 'We'll continue later. For now I think we've all got work to do with this semester starting.'

'All of us?' Ruby said, an eyebrow raised.

'Uh, I was going to ask if you wanted to sit in on classes while you're here,' Jaune replied, shrugging as he spoke. 'You're welcome to.'

'Um… I'll have to think about that,' Ruby said, scratching the back of her head. She wasn't sure about sitting in a classroom – unless they let her do story-time, that is. She had discovered why Professor Port had enjoyed rambling on to his students with anecdotes of his past adventures. It was rather fun to retell the highlights of her life and have an audience for it all; no matter how often she got told off for almost shooting classroom fixtures whilst acting them out.

'No pressure,' Jaune clarified.

'Yeah, if I'm going to spying on the government I'll kinda need time to prepare,' Ruby said in response.

'Whatever you need.' Jaune waved his hand and relaxed in his seat. 'Is there anything you'd like before we start?'

'Just the keys to the apartment,' Ruby answered.

'Great,' Jaune said, smiling as he reached into his pocket, pulled out a keycard and threw it to Ruby. She caught the card and placed it in the pocket of her skirt.

'I'll come by later when school's done,' Jaune continued.

'Thanks,' Ruby said. 'I'll get a head start on unpacking and packing again, then.'

'See you later,' Jaune responded, waving goodbye as Ruby turned around and walked over to the elevator.

Ruby called the elevator and stepped in a second later. As the doors shut she gave Jaune one last wave before relaxing even more. Leaning against the back wall, Ruby let out a groan of exhaustion and sighed. Despite having rested up at home before returning to the mainland, Ruby had been unable to really relax, the return to the school, the debriefing with Jaune and the prospective new mission all hanging over her head. Now that it was over, she could finally loosen up a little.

Now she had a new mission to work on but at least, this time, it came with the prospect of having a few more breaks and some luxuries now that she was operating in the Valesian metropole. Slouching a little bit more, Ruby tried to put the upcoming preparations out of her mind and focus on the first and most important part of her return, getting to sleep in her own bed again – the old single guest bed back on Patch being nice but a little too small to be familiarly comfortable.

As the doors opened and let her back onto the ground floor, Ruby straightened up again. "It's good to be home," she thought and then stepped out into the lobby.

* * *

'I swear, she looked at me,' Tom chattered excitedly. 'She looked right at me,'

'She was looking at the entire crowd,' Elizabeth huffed, arms crossed as she strode past her partner. Greta guessed that the red-headed girl hadn't been able to catch Ruby Rose's eye, at least as assuredly as Tom supposedly had.

Turning from the Team TEAL leader, Greta tried to see what the others were doing. An air of excitement still permeated the school and Greta could understand why, she felt exactly the same way. Ruby Rose had landed in the school, making what was probably her first public appearance in months. She was the hero of Remnant, Salem's slayer, the witch-hunter, probably the most famous person living. Even being taught by the other hero of Remnant, Jaune Arc didn't really match to the person they had just seen walk past them a few minutes ago.

Now that Ruby Rose had gone in with the professors, the crowds on the skydocks had finally dispersed, students gathering their things and heading to their dorms to settle in. Now that the rest of the group had gotten their things, Greta was following them back to the dorm. She had already cleared her stuff from their parts of the room and had gotten ready to let her team unpack.

'Still,' Rapture said. 'It was kinda cool to have her show up.'

'I wonder what she's been doing all this time,' Tom added.

'A professional Huntress whose whereabouts are always known would be a very poor one,' Adelheid stated. She wasn't frowning like Elizabeth but Greta could see the Schnee heiress had a rather disinterested look on her face.

'Adelheid,' Peter began, getting the other girl's attention, 'your mother was a teammate of Ruby Rose, wasn't she?'

'Yes,' Adelheid answered. 'She visited our family estate quite a few times when I was younger. Mother would always return home to meet her, no matter what.' Adelheid's face fell a little and her expression became slightly melancholy. 'It was… interesting, a break in the Schnee manor's usual routine.' The moment she finished, the imperious expression returned before anyone could comment.

'So did you see Ruby Rose often?' Peter asked. Greta could see that he had noticed Adelheid's brief expression as he wore a slightly concerned look on his own face but was otherwise continuing the conversation.

'Not really,' Adelheid admitted, shrugging her shoulders a little. 'I know my mother arranged quite a few meetings with her away from home but even those seemed to be rare.'

'When was the last time you saw her?' Greta asked, deciding to join in and get back to pace with her friends again.

'I think I was twelve,' Adelheid answered, pausing for a moment and cocking her head with a thoughtful look on her face; putting on a show of trying to remember.

"Is this cause she's getting attention?" Greta thought for a moment as she observed the Atlesian girl. Her posture had straightened and she was puffing her chest out a little, the imperious expression now very careful and deliberate.

'So what was she like?' Tom asked, his eyes still glowing with excitement.

'Very...' Adelheid frowned as she paused. Greta could see the Schnee heiress try to flit through her vocabulary for some kind of word. 'She was very intense… and liked touching people.'

'Touching people?' Aurora asked with a questioning look and tone.

'She liked hugging me,' Adelheid clarified. 'And my mother… and father, and Spring and most of my family, actually. I swear I saw her try to hug my grandfather once.'

'That sounds… nice,' Rapture said, shrugging her shoulders at Adelheid's statements.

'Mother kept telling her it was inappropriate but she didn't seem that upset either,' Adelheid continued. 'I think she was even smiling when Ruby last tried to hug my family.'

'I see,' Peter said, accepting what Adelheid had said with an amused smile and a nod. Most of the rest of the group, unsure of what exactly to say, also nodded in agreement, a few looking at one another as they searched for a clue on what the proper reaction should be. 'That does sound nice.'

the conversation quickly picked up again as everyone started talking about their holiday experiences and their time at home again. Some were more expressive than others, Tom especially talking about the community-wide festivities his hometown had set up. Rapture and Adelheid were the most intentionally quiet and inexpressive though Elizabeth did dismiss most questions with an answer of, 'uneventful,' or, 'boring'.

When they finally got to their dorm rooms, the group split, everyone wishing the other a good evening and then going inside to unpack. Greta was the first to open the door and walk in, practically throwing herself back on her bed, suddenly feeling exhausted after the excitement of the last half hour.

'So,' Rapture said as she slung her duffel bags onto her bed. 'We're back.'

'Yes, we are,' Peter agreed. 'It feels good to be back.'

'Yes,' Aurora said. Greta glanced her way and saw that the dark-skinned girl was wearing a small, contented smile.

'Well I'm glad you're back,' Greta added.

'It's good to hear that you're so happy to see us,' Peter said in response, flashing Greta a smile. It was slightly overstated, a put-on one that he made when he was trying to be funny. Despite that Greta couldn't help but blush.

'Did any of you get a lesson plan?' Rapture suddenly asked as she began unpacking. 'Cause I haven't heard anything about one.'

'Most of the classes have suspended,' Greta answered. When everyone looked her way she realised they were prompting her to continue. 'We'll be getting a few; something to do with meeting some kind of standard but most of the time we're supposed to be preparing for the Vytal Festival.'

'I see,' Peter said, giving a knowing smile to Greta and causing her to flush a little. 'I assume you've set up some kind of plan for all of us.'

'Um, yes,' Greta answered, feeling oddly self-conscious all of a sudden. 'I've worked out a training plan. I just don't know what we're supposed to do when we get to Vacuo: aside from the missions.'

'You'll probably think of something,' Rapture said, her tone making it clear she was trying to sound helpful.

'Thanks,' Greta said and then sighed. She smiled, despite the odd feeling of fatigue. "It's good to have everyone back."

She turned to her right to watch Peter begin opening up several of the numerous cases that had been delivered to their room. He was diligently removing clothes and taking them over to the wardrobe he had claimed as his own at the beginning of the last semester, pulling out hangers and carefully placing every article of clothing inside. Greta flushed a few seconds later when she caught his eyes. He raised an eyebrow at her but she quickly turned onto her back again and grabbed the comic she had been reading before they had returned to the school.

She reread the last third or so of the story as she waited for the awkward feeling to pass and then placed the comic back down on the bed. She could hear Aurora and Rapture chatting, though it sounded like Aurora was doing most of the talking as the two of them put things away. Peter was still putting his own things away, several identical sets of his Huntsman outfit already lining the wardrobe.

As her teammates things began to fill the room up again Great felt more relaxed. The room was returning to the way it had been before the semester's end and, to her, it felt right. Like home.

"It's _really_ good to have everyone back," she thought to herself, grinning a little as she lay back and watched her team make themselves at home again.


	3. Chapter Three: A Big Surprise

**Chapter** **T** **hree** **:** **A Big Surprise** **:**

 **January** **3** **rd** **1463 of the Vytali Calendar:**

Peter Hamlin felt good about himself. He had been a little surprised at just how quickly he had settled back into Beacon but it appeared that the school had become more familiar with him than he had initially suspected. It didn't feel like home but it was, in its own way, comfortable and the return to the routines that he had established in the previous semester were welcome.

Of course it was currently a Wednesday, his partner's least favourite day of the week and so, as a small favour to her, he had decided to take up one of the few chores their team had to endure; checking the dorm's mail. He had made it to the end of the corridor when he heard the sound of feet jogging down the hallway behind him and a familiar voice calling out.

'Peter,' Tom Underhill shouted as he raced to catch up with the taller boy. 'Wait for me.'

'Good morning, Tom,' Peter greeted, giving a curt wave as the TEAL team leader slowed down to approach him. 'How are you?'

'I'm fine thanks,' Tom said in response. 'Yourself?'

'Oh, I'm fine as well, thank you,' Peter said. 'I'm just going to check the mail to see if we've received anything today.'

'Me too,' Tom chirped. 'Mind if I join you?'

'Not at all,' Peter replied, smiling at Tom. He then set off down the stairs that would lead to the ground floor and reception desk, Tom following beside him.

'So how are you settling in?' Tom asked as they descended down the stairs to the ground floor.

'Well enough,' Peter said in response after a moment's thought. 'It was easier than I thought it would be after spending time back in Atlas. How about you?'

'Oh, I've settled in fine,' Tom replied. 'It feels good to be back.'

'Indeed,' Peter agreed, smiling.

They quickly reached the ground floor and exited the stairwell onto the main reception hall. Along the walls of the hallway were large lockers, each almost as tall as a person, that were dedicated to each individual dorm room – holding an entire team's mail together. Like the dorm rooms themselves, the even numbered lockers were on one side of the hall and the odd numbered ones on the other.

Peter walked over to the locker with his room's number, Tom going to the other side to take a look at his own locker. Peter checked the inventory sign, each locker having an electronic scanner that detected each physical letter that was placed inside it. Packages that needed to be placed inside had to also be scanned before the locker doors opened and so were recorded as well. The scanner indicated that there were two letters and a single package waiting inside.

Typing in the key code, Peter opened the door and reached in to take the two letters from a smaller separate locker inside and then picked up a small, cardboard package. Shutting the door, he then took a brief look to see who the mail was for.

The first letter was addressed to Aurora and had a rather florid envelope that suggested it was something personal. The second letter and the package, however, were much more utilitarian in appearance and addressed to Greta. Both were also stamped with the seals of a Valesian government welfare department and the Magnus Children's Home.

'Did you get anything?' Tom asked pleasantly as he turned away from his team's locker, a single letter in his hand.

'Yes,' Peter answered. 'Two letters and a package for Greta.'

They both set back up, both of them chatting still about what their plans for the week were. Peter didn't normally talk to Tom, the other boy normally being more settled in Greta's sphere of friends with Lach Boucanier but he was on decent terms with Team TEAL's leader. He found the short boy very pleasant and friendly and easy to spend time with. When they made it back to their dorms, they split ways and Peter stepped back into his room.

'Any mail,' Rapture asked as she saw Peter enter through the door.

'There was a letter for Aurora and these for Greta,' he held up Greta's letter and package as he walked over and handed Aurora the letter addressed to her.

'I think I know what it is,' Greta said in a somewhat resigned tone as she reached out and accepted the mail that Peter handed out to her.

'Oh?' Peter asked as he went over to his bed and sat down on it. He watched as Greta opened the envelope and pulled out the letter.

Peter watched as Greta opened up her letter and began to read over it. 'To Greta Hexenpfahl,' she recited, 'We of the Valesian Royal Bureau of Welfare and Child Support would like to inform you that you have reached the age of eighteen and have thus been recognised as a legal adult and fully privileged citizen of the Kingdom of Vale.'

'It's your birthday?' Rapture asked.

'Yeah,' Greta said offhandedly before returning to the letter, a frown still on her face. 'As of today you have been evicted from the Magnus Children's Home and have been rescinded from the Child Support Welfare Program. Your personal identification and social security numbers are enclosed within this letter and directions to update your personal ID can be found below. Congratulations and have a nice day.' With that she sighed and put the letter down, picking up the package and beginning to tear it open.

'That… that was abrupt,' Aurora commented, a disquieted frown on her face.

'I skipped most of it,' Greta said in response as she tore through the packaging.

'Alright,' Peter said, looking a little uneasy himself. A moment later he replaced it with a more controlled smile. 'It seems congratulations are in order, oh, and happy birthday.'

'Thanks, Peter,' Greta replied with a quick smile. She kept it on for a second longer before it straightened out again as she finally opened the package and pulled out what was inside.

'What's that?' Aurora asked.

'Government mandated birthday present,' Greta answered as she took a closer look. 'The program the Children's Home was on was obligated to give a present every year to the children. It's usually something generic.'

'So what did you get?' Rapture inquired, leaning getting up from her bed and walking over to get a better look.

'A movie data-card,' Greta replied. 'The Huntsman: Wildlands,' she read as she looked over the title, her small smile growing a little again. 'I didn't see this one. Cool.'

'Uh, excuse me,' Peter interrupted, speaking in a practised, delicate tone. 'I don't mean to sound rude but I would just like to ask; why didn't you tell us it was your birthday today?'

'Well...' Greta paused as she got a tired expression on her face. 'It's kinda, because I knew this was coming. It's not exactly fun to get an eviction notice on my birthday,' she then grimaced, 'not that I'm really gonna miss Magnus that much.'

'But we could have arranged something to help with that,' Aurora pointed out.

'Well, yeah,' Greta agreed after a moment's thought. 'I've kind of been…' Greta paused and frowned, giving a sigh. 'I guess I was just trying to think about how to take all of this,' she pointed at the letter at her side. 'My last few birthdays weren't really anything special so I was focusing on getting this eviction over with. Sorry.'

'Don't apologise,' Rapture said, getting up from her bed and walking over to Peter. She had a determined look on her face and Peter nodded as the faunus girl approached.

'We'll put something together,' Peter declared. He had easily picked up what Rapture had been trying to indicate top him and had thought about the exact same thing. 'You stay here and me and the girls will go and get you everything you need for today. Right, girls?'

'Yeah,' Rapture and Aurora said emphatically.

'Oh, uh, thanks, guys,' Greta said. Peter noticed her blush a little; presumably from his declaration and the agreement from the other girls.

'Just stay here and relax,' Peter said, trying to keep his tone confident. He realised he was now making this up as he was going, his plan having not really been prepared much further beyond where he was right at the current moment. 'We won't take too long.'

He nodded to both Aurora and Rapture who said their goodbyes and made their own promises to Greta who accepted them and said her own goodbye. Peter, meanwhile, gave Greta another reassuring smile and then opened the door and walked out into the corridor.

'Alright,' Peter sighed, stepping away from the door and letting a quick frown appear on his face before getting rid of it again. 'We need a plan.'

'I thought you had a plan,' Rapture said.

'I do,' Peter responded. 'Just very little to work with. I've never had anything to do with planning a birthday before; except buying presents for my cousins, sometimes.'

'Who's birthday are we talking about?' a familiar voice suddenly interrupted.

Peter span on his heel to find Tom standing in the partially ajar doorway of team TEAL's slightly ajar doorway. A quick, if somewhat tentative, extension of his Aura indicated that the rest of the team were standing close by, their stances suggesting they too were trying to listen in. As the images became more clear, Peter felt one of them throw their arms up in frustration and step back, a groan with a hint of Adelheid's voice telling him just who that particular figure was.

Peter sighed and rubbed his eyes a little to work out the frustration. It was slightly theatrical and he didn't really feel anywhere near as annoyed as he was presenting himself. By this point he just felt it somewhat appropriate and it did help calm himself down and give him the time to get his bearings.

'It's Greta's birthday today,' he finally announced.

'What?' Tom snapped, the same question echoed by the rest of his team and the door opening to reveal them all. 'Why didn't she tell us?'

'Because this birthday came with a notice from the Valesian government telling her she's no longer being supported by them,' Peter answered. 'She was apparently a little too focused on that and neglected to mention any of this to us. We were just as surprised as you are when she explained this.'

'Yer gettin' her stuff though, right?' Lach piped up from behind Tom.

'Well, yes,' Peter replied. 'We were just about to head into Vale to get her some presents, maybe a cake and whatever else might be appropriate for her birthday.'

'We want in,' Lach declared. Tom nodded emphatically and voiced his own agreement whilst Elizabeth and Adelheid shared a look, the former shrugging even as she shared the same questioning look as the latter.

Peter looked at Rapture and then Aurora, barely wasting a split second and yet receiving a nod and a shrug respectively. 'Alright then,' he said. 'We would be happy for the help, in fact.'

'Greta,' Tom said he and Lach turning around to get their things. Elizabeth and Adelheid were stunned for a moment by the boys backing into them but quickly went to get their things as well. In a few seconds Team TEAL had joined the three members of Team GRAP in the hallway.

'Now,' Peter began, getting everyone's attention. 'We will need to pick presents for Greta and find a bakery, or wherever we can conveniently get a cake for her and make a plan for how we will present this all for her.'

'Sounds good,' Tom said in response before pausing and frowning. 'Does anyone know what she likes? I'm afraid I can't really think of anything.'

'She likes comics,' Rapture immediately replied. 'Sort of. I've seen her borrow them from the library.'

'She did say she liked that comic-book movie she received,' Peter added.

With that the seven of them began exchanging ideas and suggestions. Tom ended up taking charge of the conversation before they had eve made it halfway to Beacon's skydocks, showing a strong enthusiasm for the entire exchange. By the time they had found a bullhead transport down to Vale, a basic plan had been made.

* * *

'Right,' Tom began, confidence and authority flowing through him as he addressed the group, 'let's begin.'

The entirety of his team as well as the three members of Team GRAP who had unintentionally told him about Greta's birthday all stood in front of him, looks of varying degrees of investment and purpose on their faces. They had yet to actually leave the airport that the bullhead had transported them to and, if their quick checks on the interlink indicated anything, they wouldn't actually be exiting the building just yet. All of the shops that they had chosen to get presents and other items from would need a decently lengthy maglev trip deeper into the megacity and so they would have to go to the station built into the airport.

'Right,' Peter agreed, having taken it upon himself to be the organisational voice of GRAP. 'Adelheid and myself will go to this bakery,' he indicated his scroll which had the name and address of the place he had decided to get a cake from, 'and get the cake for this party. We'll meet you back at the Mall once we're done.'

'We won't have the time for a custom cake, it seems,' Adelheid sighed, having volunteered to go with her fellow Atlesian when he suggested divisions, accepting his request for help in picking a cake. 'Shame, really.'

'It's the problem with short notice,' Peter commented, sighing in turn and giving a small shake of his head. The entire thing should have looked slightly theatrical but to Tom the other boy appeared completely natural and genuine as he did it. Tom blinked for a moment before getting his bearings again.

'Okay, we'll be getting presents then,' Tom declared. 'The rest of us will be heading over to the East Central Mall right now. 'Uh,' he checked his pockets for a moment, 'who has the list.'

'Oh, right, sorry,' Rapture piped up, holding up a her scroll. 'Right here. I took it all down.'

'Great,' Tom beamed. They had been putting together a list on the trip over but he had neglected to actually see if anyone was taking down their suggestions. Already confident, he relaxed even further knowing that everything was in order. 'Let's go then.'

With everything ready the group set off for the maglev station. It was an auxiliary facility built directly into the airport's main structure and buying tickets for it was easy. The passenger maglev train was a sleek, silvery, bullet-shaped machine with several ovular carriages attached to it and an identical engine attached to the back. Inside, the carriages were clean, sterilised and expansive. However, they were also busy and the group found they were unlucky enough to be squashed together in the space they had been able to afford, much to everyone's annoyance. Tom did manage to chat with Rapture but in the confined space, with tensions beginning to rise due to the poor conditions, they kept their conversation quiet in order not to irritate the others.

When they stepped off at the main hub in East Vale's main city centre, Peter and Adelheid went off on their own whilst the rest of the group headed off to the mall. Once they got inside Rapture went off to a bookstore with Elizabeth, the red-headed girl having volunteered to pay for Rapture's chosen gift as long as it got her out of the bulk of the decision making.

Now Tom, Lach and Aurora were standing in a shop labelled H.E.P: Home Entertainment Palace, a part of a store chain that apparently specialised in movies, games and consoles. It had exactly what they were looking for but unfortunately no-one knew their way around and the store's catalogue was massive.

Tom was now wandering down an aisle in the film section, Lach at his side, trying to find something he thought would make a good present. The group were mostly buying presents that were supposed to be from several of them at once. He was technically paying for a gift from himself and Lach at the moment, not that he minded.

'So do you know what kinda movie ta get Greta,' Lach asked. 'I don't really know comics.'

Tom hummed for a moment as he thought over his response and then replied honestly. 'Not really. We don't exactly stay up to date with things like comics or movies out in Esshire. My uncle Ron was always more of a book reader anyway.'

'So I, uh, I guess ya don't know what's popular then?' Lach continued.

'We could check,' Tom replied, perking up as he got out his scroll and put in a general question about popular movies. Several websites offering lists, with reviews and brief commentaries came up and Tom picked the first on the list.

'What was that big one that had all those videos spread over the interlink?' Lach asked as Tom flicked through the website. 'They were all talkin' about how its on digicard now.'

'You mean Realm Wars?' Aurora suddenly piped up, startling the two boys. She was on the aisle across from them, the shoulder high shelves separating them all.

'Yeah that's the one,' Lach replied, his face lighting up with recognition. 'That one's popular isn't it.'

'I'll see what the site says,' Tom said in response, returning to his scroll. He wasn't really disputing the issue with the others and rather liked the suggestion but did want to be sure. This was technically the first gift he was getting Greta and even if it was a little generic he wanted to get her something good.

'I haven't exactly seen it myself,' Aurora clarified. 'However, I have heard that it received a good critical reception. It was supposed to be the highlight of last year's summer season and is supposed to be a shoe-in for the upcoming award season, especially for effects and most commentators believe the story will at least get an honorary mention.' Tom noticed the dark-skinned girl's voice became more animated as she went on.

"If she hasn't seen it then she's done a lot of reading on it," Tom thought idly, casting a quick glance over at Aurora, her face brightening as she continued to relay the reported positives of the film and putting everything together. "She's probably seen it. She definitely likes it."

'Well if you think it's that good I don't see why we shouldn't go for it,' Lach said, giving Aurora a sly smirk. He had picked up on the exact same thing. Aurora quickly shut her mouth at Lach's words and blushed a little.

'No reason to drag this out then,' Tom declared. 'Let's go get that film. Where is it?'

'The new features aisle over by the cash register,' Aurora immediately replied and then caught herself. She blushed a little again. 'I uh, saw it when I was looking for my own present for Greta.'

'Great,' Tom said, sparing the girl. With that he set off in the direction Aurora pointed out, the others in tow. Their job was almost done. Then they could meet back up with the others and get ready to return.

* * *

'So you had no idea that today was your partner's birthday?' Adelheid asked. Though she had not raised the question before and he had answered to the group as a whole, Peter had expected it to come up from Schnee heiress at some point.

'I'm afraid not,' Peter admitted, sighing. 'I do remember her mentioning it vaguely before the holiday but she never said exactly when and the Solstice got in the way.'

'You don't need to make excuses to me,' Adelheid interrupted. 'I'm not judging you for this. I'm just a little surprised. My leader made it his personal mission to find out and then keep a track of events like this and remind everyone so that we could celebrate as a team.'

'Greta… for as much as she likes to plan, doesn't seem to schedule in personal events,' Peter explained. He then shrugged his shoulders. 'I think she's socially awkward.'

'She seems the type,' Adelheid agreed, nodding her head.

'Then again,' Peter continued, 'she looked a little defensive about today. She even said her last few birthdays haven't been anything special.' Peter frowned as he thought back to his partner's face. She had a worn a careful smile but Peter had been around enough social players to recognise a poor attempt at hiding disappointment. 'I get the feeling she was trying to avoid this.'

'Well I can understand that if the highlight of the day is an announcement from the government telling you that they're no longer going to support you,' Adelheid mused.

'The Valesian welfare system is confusing,' Peter agreed. 'It makes you wonder why they even keep it up if they're going to arbitrarily revoke it from them.'

'It must cost them a fortune,' Adelheid said, sniffing in distaste. 'My mother complains about business taxation as it is. I can't imagine how she would react to welfare costs on top of that.'

Peter was about to add his own thoughts when he was interrupted by a new voice.

'Can I help you two?' a shop clerk asked them. Peter and Adelheid turned to see that they were now standing in front of a counter, a cash register in front of them and the clerk, a young man in a clean, white baker's uniform, waiting politely and expectantly.

'Ah, yes,' Peter said in response, putting a winning smile on his face. He and Adelheid had been standing in a queue in their chosen bakery for several minutes, their conversation a means of passing the time as they waited to receive assistance and, possibly, some consultation.

The bakery was a rather large and popular business in one of the various shopping complex in Central East Vale's primary retail district. Peter had chosen it due to a combination of positive online reviews, the establishment's rather diverse menu – featured on their website – and its location being close to the mall the others were buying the presents from.

The building itself was, like many modern businesses, white and sparklingly clean, Atlesian influences in its construction showing through. Most of the store was taken up by a large public space with various tables, covered by glass containers, that exhibited showcase versions of some of their products. Cakes of many varieties were on display, most of them being rather intricate, designer and custom forms as well as other baked goods that were on offer on their menu. This space was surrounded on three sides by a single continuous counter that had locked access doors on two sides. The counter was more silvery in colour and, with the exception of the doors, was a single solid shape, the edges of the seamless countertop smoothed off so that they curved gently. Doors in the wall opposite the entrance likely led further into the building where the ovens and other productive sections of the bakery were situated.

'We were looking for some help in picking a birthday cake for a friend,' Peter explained to the clerk.

'Would you like a custom cake or a pre-prepared one from our selection?' the clerk asked, a professionally, friendly smile on his face.

Peter looked at Adelheid for a moment, silently sending her a similar question. Budgeting wasn't much of an issue, despite the costly year they had both experienced thus far but they were under a time constraint. Likely thinking the exact same thing, Adelheid gave Peter a small frown and shook her head a little. It was a small gesture but Peter picked up her agreement with him immediately.

'I think we will be looking for a pre-prepared item, thank you,' Peter replied to the clerk, giving his own well practised smile.

'Alright then,' the clerk said in response, pulling out a large scroll and opening it up. A copy of the menu was projected by the scroll's display function. 'We have a wide variety of birthday theme cakes. What is the person's age.'

'Eighteen,' Peter answered. 'And I think we will be looking for something a little simple, and probably not something with her age necessarily displayed on it.'

'Alright then,' the clerk said, typing onto the scroll scene and then returning it to the pair as it shifted and limited the selection of cakes.

'What does Greta like?' Adelheid asked as she skimmed over the menu.

'As far as sweets are concerned,' Peter mused, 'she seems to like gingerbread.' He then perked up a little and looked at the clerk who was standing patiently. 'Do you offer ginger cakes or anything similar?'

'Yes we do, sir,' the clerk replied, still smiling politely. He pulled the scroll back, tapped it again and then returned it to Peter and Adelheid.

Peter looked over the menu, checking close to a dozen cakes until he found one that looked acceptable and tapped the image, enlarging it. It was a decently large one with two equally sized layers and a slightly smaller layer on top of it. Orange icing covered it all and a small text box of details stated that it had jam holding the layers together and green icing disks placed on top of the two layers, a ring on the smaller layer and a wider ring of them on the lower one.

'What do you think?' Peter asked Adelheid who shrugged.

'I suppose it's acceptable,' she said, giving a small, compliant smile.

'We will take number seventeen then,' Peter said to the clerk, smiling once again.

'Alright then, sir,' the clerk replied. 'I'll just go and collect one for you. Would you like it boxed and wrapped here?'

'Yes, thank you,' Peter said in response, nodding as well.

The clerk left and went into the back as Peter and Adelheid stepped to the side, allowing another member of staff to take the previous clerk's space behind the counter and serve another customer. Keeping his smile on his face but toning it down a little, Peter turned to regard Adelheid. She was standing poised and alert, making the attentive, somewhat militant stance look oddly graceful as she then put her hands behind her back and cocked her hip slightly.

Peter tried not to stare at her, or at least not make it obvious but he was fascinated at how Adelheid bore herself. At the moment, despite dropping her arms and leaning back a little so that she was resting her upper back on the counter, Adelheid looked practically perfect – like a sculpture – the haughty frown on her face and the silvery white colour of her outfit adding to the effect.

Taking his eyes off her again, Peter took in a deep breath. He had been pondering something for some time regarding Adelheid Schnee and now, as they waited, he could see a new opportunity.

For a moment Peter thought back to the fact that he had been spending as much time as he could with her. Ever since she first sought him out to build teams back during their initiation into the school, he had been interested in Adelheid, seeing a sense of kinship with the Schnee heiress. As members of the Atlesian elite, both of whom had decided to complete their schooling in Vale, they had connected over their similar experiences and developed a friendship, albeit one that was dictated somewhat by the formalities of their social class. Despite that, Peter thought he had been honest with Adelheid, even if his honesty had been coated in a thin layer of thoroughly ingrained manners, taught behaviour protocols and social habits he had picked up over many years. Now, however, he decided to try something; something that had been in the back of his mind for some time but he had never seriously considered.

'I just wanted to say thank you,' Peter began after a short pause to collect his thoughts and prepare himself.

'For what?' Adelheid asked, frowning.

'For helping me,' Peter answered. Adelheid gave him a questioning look that was carefully stoic and calculating. Peter knew the look, she was searching for a motive. In response he smiled, keeping his cool. "I've made a start," he thought. "I might as well stay the course, as it were."

'I haven't really done anything,' Adelheid replied, her tone even and steady.

'Oh, but you have,' Peter said confidently. 'I went into this mission,' he suppressed a chuckle at the mild overstatement he had chosen, 'with next to no idea of what I was going to do. Every bit of help is useful and you've been an invaluable assistant.'

'An assistant?' Adelheid drawled, looking a little more relaxed but keeping her frown on her face.

'A partner then?' Peter supplied, giving a more relaxed and genuine look to the girl. 'Either way, I'm glad that you volunteered to come with me.'

'I suppose a partner does sound better,' Adelheid sighed, her frown turning into a small smile. 'You're welcome, as well; since it means so much to you.'

'I've actually been making to ask you something,' Peter then said, turning to look at the Schnee heiress.

'Oh?' Adelheid asked, now giving a genuinely quizzical look.

'I was wondering, with the trip to Vacuo and the Vytal Festival coming up, would you be willing to go to the pre-festival dance with me?' Peter asked, looking at Adelheid intently to try to gauge her expression.

'You want to go to the dance with me?' Adelheid said, her face and tone still questioning.

'Yes,' Peter clarified, still thinking over what to say and then putting his left hand to his chest. 'It would be my pleasure and my honour.' He spoke with as much genuineness as possible, letting his face drop into an expression of honesty. It was almost alien to put so much effort into being relaxed and informal.

Adelheid paused for a moment, her eyes quickly darting up and down Peter's face. She then gave a small smile and a slight blush, her gaze flickering away in a surprisingly demure fashion. 'Alright then. I'd be happy to go with you.'

Peter let his smile widen but he was fighting to hold back a much stronger grin. 'Thank you,' he responded, also fighting to keep his tone even. He still let a lot of genuine gratitude and pleasure show in his voice as his mind processed the fact that he had succeeded.

'You're welcome,' Adelheid preened. In an instant her more familiar demeanour returned but she was still smiling and the blush was still decorating her cheeks.

They were both about to continue when the clerk returned with a sealed box. Peter thanked the man, paid for the cake and then turned to leave, Adelheid in tow. Despite making the trip for Greta's sake, Peter felt incredibly good about himself. It had been a little spur of the moment but he had managed to achieve one of his goals for the upcoming Vytal Festival. After the harrowing experience of his first semester, he began to hope that the rest of his freshman year would turn out well.

* * *

The trip back to Beacon had been quick and, thankfully uneventful, the group collecting themselves in the mall, gifts, snacks and other items bought and readied for the party. There had also been no delays on their return flight and now they waited for the bullhead to land and let them back onto the campus.

Tom felt good about the upcoming evening. Though the range of gifts they had bought was small and not particularly diverse they had, at least, made well educated guesses and the cake that Peter and Adelheid had picked up looked fantastic. The two had in fact exuded an air of satisfaction when they had returned to the group and been smiling all of the way, even if they were small, subtle smiles. Feeling the good mood in turn, Tom had let himself feel optimistic about Greta's birthday. Despite the last minute preparations they had got together enough stuff for a decent celebration and would help their friend have a great birthday – possibly one of her best if the speculation from the group was anything to go by.

As they stepped off of the bullhead and onto the skydocks Peter turned to address the group. He was still smiling and wearing a look of confidence.

'Alright everyone,' he announced, 'this has been a huge success. I'd just like to say thank you to all of you for helping me out.'

'Don't ya thank us,' Lach drawled, giving a dismissive wave but smiling whilst doing so. 'This one's for Greta.'

The others voiced their own agreements, or accepted Peter's thanks and then the group set off back to the dormitories. Tom looked at his scroll; the clock told him it was still the afternoon though it was getting close to the evening. The group made conversation as they walked, planning out the party they were about to throw and debating over who got to give Greta their presents first.

'I'm going to give Jedd a call,' Peter then said as they entered the dorm building.

'What?' Tom asked. He had been walking he closest to Peter but the Atlesian boy had been talking to Adelheid until this point.

'I think it's worth inviting Team JETT as well,' Peter mused. 'I know the room will probably be rather full with them there as well but they did help us last semester and, well they do say, the more the merrier.'

'I guess,' Tom drawled. He wasn't entirely sure what would happen with the second years joining them, not knowing them that well. Eventually he let the principle of celebrating with as many people as possible win through and nodded in agreement.

Peter took out his scroll and began making a call, sounding surprisingly jovial as he extended his invitation to Jedd and his team. A good atmosphere had descended on the group and Tom couldn't help but smile as he looked at the rest of the group, seeing a sense of easy readiness over everyone, even if some were a little less enthusiastic than others.

"This is gonna go great," Tom thought to himself, smiling wider still.

* * *

Greta lolled back on her bed, barely paying attention to the movie that was playing on her room's scroll projector. Her government mandated present was lying still in the clear plastic wrapping on the desk nearby, Greta having decided to leave it be and wait to see if her friends wanted to watch as a group later. Completely disinterested in what was on the holographic screen, Greta let out a tired sigh and wondered what she could do to alleviate her boredom.

She was about to pull a book from one of the shelves and give reading a go when she heard a brief knock at the door, followed by the sound of door unlocking and opening. Greta paused the film and sat up in her bed, a look of interest and slight anticipation on her face. Whilst she hadn't been looking forward to her birthday and somewhat surprised by her team's offer to throw her a celebration of some kind, the fact that her friends wanted to do something for her birthday – after she had some time to stew in her thoughts and actually mull it over – had left her a little excited over what they would bring.

The door opened and familiarly mussed and curly brown hair poked in, followed by the face of Tom Underhill. Greta blinked as he peered into the room, locked eyes with her and smiled.

'Surprise!' he shouted, his voice almost instantly drowned out by several others all loudly saying the same thing.

'Happy Birthday!' a large group – composed of Team GRAP, Team TEAL and, to Greta's slight surprise, Team JETT – walked into the room, friendly smiles on most of their faces and packages in the arms of several people.

Greta couldn't say anything. Instead she let the small smile she had been hesitant to allow, grow on her face, slight incredulity in the open mouth expression she gave as what was before her sank in. everyone squeezed their way through the door, giving greetings or short waves that Greta returned almost automatically. She eventually realised she what kind of expression she was making and shut her mouth.

'Um… uh, thanks, guys,' Greta finally stammered out as the group looked her way expectantly.

'Come on, come on,' Lach said, stepping forward and offering a bag. 'Don't just stand there. Come over here and 'ave a look.'

'Uh, right,' Greta said, grinning again as she took the bag. Rapture and Tom offered their own packages whilst Peter held up a box wrapped in a bow.

'We brought drinks,' Jedd Nechten rumbled, holding up a bag. 'I couldn't get strong stuff on short notice though.'

Greta gave her thanks, both to Lach whose bag she had accepted and Jedd for bringing something. She opened the bag to see a digicard box. Pulling it she blinked and then smiled as she recognised the title on the cover. The box read "Realm Wars: The Oncoming Storm," a large number of armed figures crowded around what looked like a hole in the sky. It was a movie she had heard of but never seen and was apparently popular.

'Th… thanks, guys,' she said as she looked up at the expectant and somewhat cautious expression on the faces of Tom, Lach and Aurora, the latter averting her eyes for a second. 'It's great. I've heard about this one.'

'This is, uh, from the rest of us,' Rapture said a little abashedly as she handed over another bag.

'Thanks,' Greta said as she placed the digicard by her side and took the proffered bag. It was wider than the previous one and had "Wilson's Books," printed on the side. Opening it up she pulled out several Huntsman comic books, the last few recent editions.

'We kinda saw the stuff you'd taken out of the library,' Rapture said, her voice relaxed and confident again. 'Lizzie helped pay for it as well.'

'What did you call me?' Elizabeth snarled from the middle of the group, glaring at Rapture.

'That's what Lach and Tom call you,' Rapture answered with a confused expression, inching away from the volatile redhead as Elizabeth seemed to almost visibly steam.

'Thanks guys,' Greta interrupted, her face lighting up as she flicked through a couple of pages. 'I really like this.'

'Alright,' Peter then piped up, stepping to the front of the group. 'Here's our gift to you from all of us.'

He placed a large pristine, white box held together by wire-cloth that had been tied around the box and folded into a bow at the top. He placed it on her lap, the other bag holding her new Huntsman comics now lying on top of the first at her side.

'Be careful,' Peter warned Greta as he let go of the box and let it lie in her lap.

'Thanks, Peter,' Greta said as she steadied the box and then began to untie the bow.

After removing the string she pulled the lid off the box and found the side panels could fold outwards. Breaking the sealant holding everything together, she let the sides fall out to reveal a large cake. Her eyes widened again as she looked at the magnificent baked product in front of her. It was double layered, the slightly smaller one crowning the cake covered in green disks of hardened icing and coloured orange. At one point when she was younger, Greta had spent a large amount of the meagre savings she had scraped together to get a similar cake. After joining Signal, however, between her educational expenses and the fact that her orphanage couldn't afford large birthday celebrations, she had never been able to have anything as big since then.

'Wow, I' she stammered for a moment before recovering slightly. 'Tha… thanks, guys. This, this is really… I… thanks.'

'It's nothing,' Lach said, waving dismissively.

'Yeah,' Rapture agreed. 'It's the least we could do. Right guys?'

A chorus of agreement followed, the entire group giving congratulations and well-wishes. Greta saw several of the group peeling off to take seats, most of them picking spots on the beds in the room as the few chairs were quickly stolen by whoever had made a move first.

Greta was still stunned. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt like this. Between impersonal caretakers in the Children's Home, an orphanage population that had changed so regularly while she had remained stuck in the institution and Signal classmates who lived in completely different parts of the megacity, Greta's life had been isolated for so long now. For a moment, she clenched her fists, hiding them under the panels of the box so that her friend's couldn't see and held back tears.

'Alright,' Peter then said from his seat in one of the desk chairs he had managed to grab. 'So, Greta, now that we have everything ready, what would you like to do now?'

* * *

The birthday party was small and rather low-key but Greta didn't care. She had decided to watch some of the movies she had gotten, starting with the Huntsman film. Despite it being a reminder of the government message that she was now cut off on her own, she had wanted to see it since it first got into theatres. Halfway into it, someone had made a mocking quip and the group began to settle into a pattern of making running commentary and laughing at their own jokes, until they were ordered to stop. It seemed Adelheid and Thaba didn't like it when people talked during a movie.

When that movie was over they had decided to cut the cake and, thankfully, it had gone well. There had been some arguments over whether anyone had got larger slices than everyone else. Greta received the largest slice on Peter's orders, the Atlesian boy stating it was a matter of principle; as well as her cake to enjoy.

Jedd had broken out his drinks at that point, passing them out to everyone. Greta wasn't exactly a stranger to alcohol and didn't feel anything from the fruity beverages that Team JETT had handed to her, at least as far as she noticed.

Now another movie was on, something Rapture had provided that featured some kind of shape-shifting Gheist-like Grimm monster eating people and possessing their bodies. The room wasn't really paying attention, evidenced by the fact that no-one complained whenever quips or comments were made at the over the top gore on screen. Greta leaned back on her bed and lazily kept her eyes on the screen, taking in the action but not really processing it. Looking around the room, she took in the group who had set up and attended her impromptu birthday celebration, her friends.

'Where's Peter?' she mumbled, noticing that one of the group was missing.

'What was that?' Rapture mumbled, turning from the holographic screen to look at Greta.

'Where's Peter?' Greta repeated, pointing in the general direction of the others to emphasise her point.

'I think I saw him go out a few minutes ago,' Rapture answered.

'Right' Greta said in response. She then levered herself into a sitting position and got off the bed. 'I'll be back.'

A chorus of affirmatives, several of them disinterested, answered Greta as she picked her away around everyone and then walked out of the door, shutting it behind her and taking a breath. She didn't realise that the dorm room had gotten so hot until the cooler air outside hit her.

The corridor was empty and Greta took the time, solitude and cool temperature to lean against the door and take a breath. After collecting her thoughts, Greta then looked around. Peter wasn't anywhere nearby and so Greta set off down the corridor to find him. She wandered onto the next floor, heading for the door that led to the third floor's balcony. It was only a guess but she was sure that if Peter wanted to go out and wasn't in the hallway then he would probably be spending his time on the balcony instead.

Finding the door and opening it, Greta peered out onto the balcony and found Peter leaning on the wall by the door. As far as she could tell he wasn't looking at anything in particular though there was a bottle of whatever Jedd had brought to the party in his hand.

'Peter?' Greta said as she pushed the door open wider and stepped onto the balcony.

'Hello, Greta,' Peter responded, turning to her and giving a smile. 'Why are you here?'

'I was gonna ask you that,' Greta said, an eyebrow rising.

'Well, I was just getting some air,' Peter answered with a shrug. 'Also the heat was getting unbearable.'

'Maybe you shouldn't wear all of that then,' Greta said, chuckling and giving an indicating wave to Peter's outfit. Then what she said caught up to her and flushed a little. She looked at Peter to see if he had caught what she had just said but saw him smile at her. Greta relaxed for a moment but then Peter's smile switched to an amused smirk. Greta cringed and Peter started to chuckle.

'Shut up,' Greta snapped half-heartedly.

'Sorry, sorry,' Peter said, putting his hands up.

'Yeah, well...' Greta trailed off as she tried to think of what she wanted to say next.

'Yes?' Peter prompted.

'I just wanted to say thank you,' Greta spat out, feeling nervous. 'For today.'

'Well, you're very welcome but it wasn't just me,' Peter began only to be cut off.

'Well, I know that,' Greta continued, her stomach in knots. 'It's just, well… you did insist on this and you were the one who told everyone to do this so I wanted to… say this to you first. Uh, thanks.'

Peter stood in front of her for a moment, his eyes seeming to roam over her as if he was trying to figure out what he was being told. It lasted only a second before he replaced it with his usual charming smile and put his hand on her shoulder.

'It was my pleasure,' Peter said reassuringly.

Greta then, without thinking, shot forward and wrapped her arms around Peter, her head nestling into his shoulder as she hugged him. Both of them were stunned for a moment, Greta's insides somersaulting as her thoughts caught up with her and she realised what she had just done.

"Oh gods, oh gods, why?" Greta screeched in her head.

She felt Peter shift but instead of pushing her or moving away he put his own arms around her in a rather weak but friendly hug as well. Greta flushed but didn't feel that embarrassed or scared this time. Instead an odd sense of relief and triumph took over instead and she didn't bother fighting the smile that spread across her face.

'Thanks,' Greta mumbled, not really knowing what exactly she was thanking him for this time.

'You're welcome,' Peter said once again, his tone confident. 'I didn't realise it meant this much to you.'

'It… it, uh...' Greta's words trailed off as she forgot what she wanted to say. She instead stayed in place and tried to burrow a little bit further into the nook she had placed her head.

After a few seconds of standing in place, Peter finally spoke up. 'I think we should head back to the party; don't you?'

Greta wanted to say no but felt Peter moving and realised that he was probably going to let go. Sighing quietly she loosened her grip and stepped back out of Peter's arms, trying to hide the feeling of disappointment that washed through her. She then nodded her affirmative to Peter's question and turned to walk back into the dormitory building, her partner behind her.

Greta felt giddy again as she and Peter walked down the corridor back to their room but there was one thought that was still rattling in her head. "Why did I do that? Did I… oh no. Really?" A thought hit her. "Do I… do I _like_ Peter?"

The butterflies didn't return but an intense nervousness hit her almost immediately after the thought did. "Is… is that right? What do I do? Do I ask him out? Would it be weird? What about the team? What happens if partners date? We live in the same room together. What if..." Her thoughts were a chaotic maelstrom and she cringed, a part of her glad that she was in front of Peter and not showing him that she was panicking right now.

As she walked down the stairs to their floor of the dormitory, Greta tried to calm down, failing for the most part but at least putting a stoic expression back on her face. As they made their back into the room, nothing having changed despite Greta feeling like the day had, once again been turned on its head, Greta threw herself on her bed, pushed the back of her head into her pillow, stared at the movie on the hologram projector and tried to forget the unsettling feelings she was having.

The semester hadn't even started properly and everything was already going wrong. "Why?" Greta thought, annoyed at herself, the gods, the universe and whatever else she could blame for what she was feeling. "Why?" she repeated in her head again. "I didn't ask for this."


End file.
